The Minnesota Department of Health (“MDH”) stated on Friday, September 16, that there are now nine confirmed cases of Legionnaires’ disease in the Hopkins area, with patients ranging in age from their 20’s to their 90’s. Officials have indicated that they are still unaware of the source of the Legionella bacteria responsible for the outbreak, and believe it is possible that they might never know. The MDH expects to see more cases of Legionnaires’ popping up within the Hopkins area as a result of the outbreak. Legionnaires’ disease is often misdiagnosed as pneumonia or other respiratory diseases. The MDH has…
A fourth resident of the Illinois Veterans’ Home in Quincy, Illinois was diagnosed with Legionnaires’ disease. Another case of Legionnaires’ disease was also recently confirmed in the Quincy area, but this case does not appear to be associated with the Veterans’ Home in any way. A spokesman with the Illinois Department of Veterans Affairs, Dave MacDonna, indicated that the source of the Legionella bacteria that is responsible for this fourth case associated with the facility has not yet been determined. The gentleman’s room, where he eats, where he relaxes, and the building where he lives have all been eliminated as possible sources of exposure to the bacteria. In light of four positive…
Image via http://www.unclejohnshandymanservice.com An article from the Wall Street Journal elaborates on some investigations into Legionnaires’ disease outbreaks done by the Center for Disease Control (CDC) in the past 15 years. The results showed that the vast majority of outbreaks were caused by negligence on the part of maintenance employees who did not maintain biocides effectively, repair or change equipment on schedule, or did not adequately maintain the plumbing. These look like easily fixable problems, but it’s more complicated than it seems. The guidelines for preventing Legionella are not standards, and there are virtually no laws requiring specific Legionella prevention. This means…
Protestors march along Saginaw Street demanding clean water outside of Flint City Hall in Flint, Mich. on Wednesday Oct. 7, 2015. Christian Randolph | MLive.com Summer is approaching quickly, and with it, warmer weather. Generally this is a pleasant transition from a cold winter, but the residents of Flint, Michigan may have a reason to dread the upcoming season. The transition to Spring may see an uptick in the number of cases of Legionnaires’ disease. Bacteria thrive in warmer water, and Flint has had a terrible problem with bacteria in the past year. Second to lead exposure, Legionella bacteria has been…
Before understanding the steps being taken to amend the crisis, one must first understand the causes and circumstances. The water supply for the city of Flint was switch from the Detroit city water inlet to the Flint River from April 25th, 2014 until October 16th, 2015. This switch was an effort to reduce costs for the municipal system while maintaining a constant water supply. However, during that period many levels of the Flint government either did not see, or intentionally disregarded clear evidence that the water from the Flint river was damaging to the city. This negligence has resulted in numerous…
88 people contracted Legionnaires’ disease from June 2014 to November 2015. Until recently, nine of those 88 had died due to the illness, but health officials have added another individual to the list of those who succumbed to Legionnaires’ disease bringing the total to 10. The outbreak in Flint, MI has been one of the worst outbreaks in history, breaking the top ten in number of deaths recorded. While a conclusive link between the Flint River and the water crisis in Flint has not been fully established, the circumstances strongly suggest that oversights by both the Flint government and the…
Governor Rick Snyder called for an investigation of the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services to look into the way that the Legionnaires’ disease outbreak and water crisis were handled in Flint, Michigan. Spokesman Ari Adler said that up to $800,000 will be spent on research sifting through “large quantities” of emails and documents. No health department personnel are suspended at the moment. Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette is also hoping that the state will grant his office $1.5 million to investigate the water crisis as well. Much remains unclear about the water crisis in Flint, Michigan, but it…
The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services has demanded $11,071 in response to a public records request from CNN regarding the Legionnaires’ disease outbreak in Flint, MI that sickened 87 and killed nine individuals. The invoiced amount was requested in order to “prepare” any emails and documents that involved the discussion Legionnaires’ disease among state officials. Jim Henry, Health Director of Genesee County allegedly told CNN at one point that the severity of the outbreak may have been reduced had the state health department stepped in to help the local health department locate the source. The source is currently…
Don Kooy, president of McLaren Hospital, and experts say that they suspect the Flint River as the source of Legionella bacteria that were found in the hospital’s water system over a year ago. Kooy was surprised that, although the bacteria were discovered over a year ago, the health agencies did not inform the public of the Legionnaires’ disease outbreak in Genesee County until just a few weeks ago. Flint residents’ complaints of dirty tap water had been going on for some time, but little information was provided to the public. “It’s a public health issue,” said Kooy. “There were people in…
53 pages of e-mails released by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) shows the concern over water quality in Genesee County and the potential of Legionnaires’ disease. The MDHHS was aware of the spike in Legionnaires’ disease cases in Genessee County since at least October 2014. From the e-mails, it appears that the Genesee County Health Department was going to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) rather than communicating with the state health department. A February 2015 e-mail from Shannon Johnson of the MDHHS shows the state health department’s frustrations over seven months of trying to…