Routine testing of Mount Sinai Beth Israel hospital’s water system last month yielded positive results for Legionella bacteria in several parts of the hospital. Consequently, one patient at the facility developed Legionnaires’ disease. An employee stated on Wednesday night that the water containing the Legionella bacteria was within the hospital’s plumbing system. The hospital states they are taking action to eliminate the issue. Special filters have been implemented on sinks, shower heads, and ice machines throughout the facility. Water use has also been restricted. Legionnaires’ disease cannot be spread from person to person, and can only develop as a result of…
The Allegheny General Hospital in Pittsburgh, PA is exploring options to eliminate Legionella bacteria from its water supply. The hospital found the bacteria in two water tanks earlier this year, and has since taken steps to keep patients safe. Hospital officials shut down sources of drinking water in several floors of its main inpatient facility after Legionella cultures were positive, and it increased the frequency of testing in high-risk units. The hospital has now largely returned to its normal water treatment system, though officials are continuing to test drinking water and are considering an overhaul of the existing water treatment system. The…
A possible source of Legionella infection in Australia has been managed, officials say, thanks to mandatory testing and water treatment programs. The Cunnamulla Hospital in Queensland, Australia conducted regular tests for Legionella bacteria in its water supply, as mandated by Queensland lawmakers. These tests revealed the presence of bacteria earlier this July. Hospital officials shut off water before patients or staff were at risk and chlorinated the water. Further tests have now indicated that the bacteria is gone, though the hospital will continue to monitor the situation. A spokesperson for the hospital pointed out that many facilities in the area…
Legislation mandating that hospitals conduct routine tests for Legionella has paid off in Australia, where a Queensland hospital caught the bacteria in its water supply before patients were infected. A deadly outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease in 2013 prompted lawmakers to require that hospitals perform regular tests for Legionella. As a result of such tests, the Cunnamulla Hospital in southwestern Queensland reported last week that its water system contained Legionella bacteria. Hospital officials responded by chlorinating the water system, replacing water fixtures, and retesting the water supply. Thanks to the mandatory tests and the quick action of the hospital officials, no…
Public awareness of the problem of Legionnaires’ disease in Flint, Michigan may finally be paying off. A research project headed by Wayne State University in Michigan will investigate the possibility that water from the Flint River was contaminated with Legionella bacteria in addition to lead. After nearly 100 Flint residents contracted Legionnaires’ disease in 2014 and 2015, with 12 cases proving fatal, experts wondered whether the outbreak was related to the city’s water system. (By contrast, only one case of Legionnaires’ disease has been reported in the Flint area so far this year.) Little testing was done for Legionella, though, despite the…
A recent Huffington Post article draws attention to the nationwide problem of Legionnaires’ disease and to the benefits of mandatory tests for the disease. In a June 30 piece, Joseph Erbentraut discusses the deadly risk of Legionnaires’ disease as well as the surprising absence of legislation to prevent it. Erbentraut was prompted to write the piece by the recent Legionellosis outbreak in Flint, MI, but the article draws attention to the nationwide prevalence of the disease and the threat it poses to the elderly and infirm. Experts quoted in the article point out the fact that Legionnaires’ disease is often underreported as its…
The Quincy Veterans Home in Quincy, Illinois has unveiled a new water system designed to combat Legionnaires’ disease. An August 2015 outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease at the home sickened 53 people and caused 12 deaths. (Read our blog post for more about this outbreak.) During the outbreak, residents drank bottled water and avoided showers as officials disinfected water tanks with chlorine and shut down potential sources of the bacteria. As investigators noted, the veterans’ home posed several challenges to officials as they sough to stop the spread of the disease. The sprawling, 200-acre campus contains 48 buildings, making efforts to identify and…
Legionella bacteria in the water supply of the Allegheny General Hospital in Pittsburgh likely caused a cancer patient to contract Legionnaires’ disease. Officials previously believed that the patient, now recovered, had contracted the illness elsewhere, but new tests show that the bacteria originated in the hospital. After a cancer patient who had previously been treated at the hospital was readmitted with respiratory problems at the end of May, doctors tested the patient for Legionnaires’ disease. (Click here for our original blog post on this story.) The test was positive, and the patient was treated and made a full recovery. At the…
A recent investigation into a pneumonia death in Flint has demonstrated the need for hospitals to release Legionella test results and for diligent testing of patients at risk for Legionnaires’ disease. In a June 28 article for Bridge Magazine, Chastity Pratt Dawsey reports on the case of Bertie Marble. Mrs. Marble, a 68-year-old resident of Flint, Michigan, passed away in March 2015 after a spell of ill health. During her final stay at McLaren Regional Medical Center in Flint, Mrs. Marble was diagnosed with “healthcare-associated pneumonia”. McLaren had found Legionella bacteria in its water system in late 2014 but had not revealed…
A birth center in southern England has been cleaned and will soon reopen after having closed for the second time this year because of positive tests for Legionella. Paulton Birth Centre in Somerset was closed for maintenance in early June after a sample of water was found to contain Legionella. The bacteria was found in a section of the center that does not serve patients directly. Now, the water system has been tested again after a cleaning and no Legionella has been found. A spokesperson for the center’s owner, NHS Property Services, said that the water system had been thoroughly…