Last week, Sheboygan County’s health department reported a second death from Legionnaires’ disease. Although the specific source of Legionella, the bacteria that causes Legionnaires’ disease, is unknown, cases of the bacterial disease were reported at Millipore Sigma in Sheboygan Falls and Pine Haven Christian Communities’ Oostburg location. A Millipore Sigma representative said in an email last week that a few employees reported flu-like symptoms and tested positive for Legionnaires’ disease after routine cleaning and maintenance of the site’s wastewater facility. The exposure is suspected to have come from a piece of equipment in the company’s wastewater treatment plant. Oostburg Village President is confident, after testing for the disease multiple times, that there are no Legionella bacteria in the water. Though public health officials are still warning to avoid drinking tap water if they have an immune-compromising preexisting condition. Though it is important to keep in mind that drinking contaminated water alone will not infect a human being with Legionnaires’ disease: one would need to accidentally inhale or aspirate some of the water in order for the bacteria to enter the system. Therefore, people with difficulty swallowing may be more likely to contract the disease from drinking water.[1] THE MATERIALS ON THIS WEBSITE HAVE BEEN PREPARED BY JULES ZACHER, P.C. FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY AND ARE NOT LEGAL ADVICE OR A SUBSTITUTE FOR LEGAL COUNSEL. [1] https://www.sheboyganpress.com/story/news/2020/09/21/sheboygan-legionnaires-outbreak-two-deaths-reported/5854660002/