This law firm will issue a white paper on the need for stringent legislation at the national level to curtail the increasing incidence of Legionnaires’ disease throughout the United States. Rather than rolling out the paper at one time, various chapters will be issued that when taken as a whole make up the white paper. While many of you might not be familiar with the term white paper, it refers to reports that were issued by the British government regarding matters of concern to the general public. What could be more pressing in this country than Congress passing legislation that…
The owner of the Hampton Sands Resort has stated there is no reason for signs warning of Legionnaires’ disease at the hotel to remain after recent sampling by a contractor for the presence of the legionella bacteria hired by the hotel have proven negative. The New Hampshire Department of Health has denied this request as of Tuesday and required more sampling for the presence of legionella because additional sampling by the hotel owner which resulted in negative results did not meet the health department’s requirements. The health department stated the samples done by the hotel’s contractor came in portions smaller…
A recent outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease at the Guildford Town Centre mall in Surrey, British Columbia indicates that cooling towers at the mall may be the source of the disease. This firm has represented numerous persons who contracted the disease from a cooling tower at the Opera House Hotel in the Bronx, New York. The dynamics of a cooling tower outbreak are interesting. The cooling tower works by warm air coming from inside the building passing over cooler water in the tower. Unfortunately, biofilm builds up at the base of the tower which contains the legionella bacteria causing Legionnaires’ disease.…
Some interesting developments have occurred regarding the outbreak at the Sands Hotel. Most notable is the source of persons contracting Legionnaires’ disease not just being from the indoor spa or potable water system at the hotel, but also from the air vent from the indoor spa. This would explain the number of cases associated with the hotel by the health authority who have not actually having stayed at the hotel but have been near the it. Perhaps of greater significance is the match between the environmental sample taken from the hotel and the clinical (hospital) sample of one of the…
Three important pieces of evidence have been revealed through the media so far about the outbreak at the Sands Resort. The owner did not have a permit for the spa, there was legionella bacteria in numerous places through out the hotel and not just the spa, and numerous people who have been associated with the hotel who have contracted the disease. These facts are important for the following reasons. Permits are issued to make sure the spa holder complies with all regulatory requirements, e.g. the amount of chlorine in the spa. Finding legionella in two different water systems within the…
Jules Zacher has been retained by two persons who contend they have contracted Legionnaires disease at the Sands Resort in Hampton New Hampshire. An Order issued by the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services indicates that the bacteria that causes the disease has been found in a hot tub, water heater, outdoor shower hose, and shower heads or sinks. The state Department of health has ordered the Sands Resort to notify all guests of the outbreak and to hire a consultant to remediate. Testing by the CDC indicates the legionella bacteria was found in shower heads or…
New York City health officials first learned of a cluster of Legionnaires’ Disease cases in Washington Heights in early July. Since then, eight confirmed cases have more than doubled with the current total inching toward two dozen. The outbreak has already proven fatal with one death, and several confirmed cases still hospitalized. Health Officials have indicated that the “Lower Washington Heights” outbreak stems from an infected cooling tower. The health department has conducted testing on over 20 cooling towers and have affirmed that drinking water is safe despite the rise in cases. Early reports show that affected individuals are between…
The Southern Nevada Health District has launched an investigation into two reported cases of Legionnaire’s Disease connected to Harrah’s Laughlin Hotel and Casino. The affected guests stayed at the hotel in November 2017 and March 2018. The normal incubation period for Legionnaire’s Disease is 2 to 10 days after exposure. The Health District is urging any guests who stayed at the hotel and exhibited symptoms of Legionnaire’s Disease as early as October 2017 to report their illness via survey at www.snhd.info/survey2018. The Health Department conducted testing of Harrah’s at Laughlin confirming the presence of Legionella in various water samples collected…
In a previous post, we discussed an introduction to water system maintenance. More detailed resources, however, can clearly be of great assistance in situations like this. As such, the CDC actually provides a great page to review other significant guidelines and standards that may be applicable. Resources on the page include everything from ASHRAE to the Cooling Tower Institute however what’s also of interest is that the page provides links to more healthcare-specific guidelines including those from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services as well as, of course, the CDC’s own guidelines on both matters. Here are some of…
About a month ago, Transparency Market Research estimated that the global legionella testing market was valued at US$180 million in 2016. In addition, Transparency Market Research also estimated that the testing market would reach around US$398.7 million by 2025. Perhaps one of the biggest factors for future growth moving forward is that the incidence rate is increasing globally, particularly in developing regions. With this higher incidence of infectious diseases comes a steady increase in the demand for diagnostic kits and with it the global legionella testing market is expected to substantially grow. As it stands now, the incidence rate of…