June 14, 2016 zacherlaw 0 Comments

The WorldMark Kapaa Shore Resort, a Wyndham Resorts hotel, was closed this week after two cases of Legionnaires’ disease were confirmed by the health department. The closure was done as a precaution and guests were moved to nearby hotels. Wyndham Resorts released a statement saying: “Recently, the Kapaa Shore Resort received confirmation that the presence of Legionella bacteria was found in two units at the resort,” the resort said, in an emailed statement. “As a precautionary measure, we are temporarily closing the resort and relocating owners and guests to nearby properties so that we can properly remediate and get the…

June 10, 2016 zacherlaw 0 Comments

The CDC recently released news tools for Legionnaires’ disease investigations.  The CDC online toolkit includes: Environmental Investigation Tools, Laboratory Investigation Tools, and a section to request CDC assistance.  Example questionnaires, fact sheets, protocols, and educational videos to assist with outbreak investigations are also provided as part of the toolkit. To view this toolkit, please visit the CDC website http://www.cdc.gov/legionella/health-depts/inv-tools-cluster/index.html   

May 2, 2016 zacherlaw 0 Comments

Photo courtesy of Shutterstock Treatment of Legionnaires’ disease typically involves a series of antibiotics that seek out and kill the present bacteria in a person’s system. This type of treatment is generally very effective, but as discussed in previous posts on this blog, there is concern about overuse of antibiotics leading to drug-resistant bacteria. However, a new potential treatment method has emerged as a secondary effect of specific cancer drugs. BH3-mimetic drugs target and switch-off BCL-XL proteins inside cells. This helps with cancer treatment because it prevents the cancer cells from surviving apoptosis – programmed cell death. Coincidentally, the BCL-XL protein is…

April 27, 2016 zacherlaw 0 Comments

Garston Lane hospital in Wantage, a town in Oxfordshire, is closing due to plumbing issues.  According to the hospital trust, the “old and corroded” pipes present a threat of Legionella bacteria to the public. Wantage residents, however, are fighting to keep it open.  The campaign was launched this past Saturday and the petition already has over 1,600 signatures. The hospital is currently set to close in the early summer and has plans to “set aside” funds for repairs.  No work will begin until it can be determined how the hospital will be renovated. However, the trust also said in a recent statement…

March 30, 2016 zacherlaw 0 Comments

      Mike Glasgow, Flint laboratory and water quality supervisor,  is shown in this Flint Journal file photo.      An interesting piece of information about the Flint water crisis emerged yesterday at an open hearing where members of the Flint community could testify before a Joint Committee. A water treatment plant official, Mike Glasgow, testified that he had tried to increase his staff number and the protection measures being taken as the switch to the Flint River occurred. However, he was blocked from doing so by officials at the  Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ). Glasgow became well known…

March 29, 2016 zacherlaw 0 Comments

    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…

March 23, 2016 zacherlaw 0 Comments

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…

March 22, 2016 zacherlaw 0 Comments

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…

March 17, 2016 zacherlaw 0 Comments

      Image Credit: Zach Gibson/The New York Times      Michigan Governor Rick Snyder and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) head Gina McCarthy attended a house hearing today regarding the water crisis in Flint, MI. The hearing was intended to clarify some of the circumstances surrounding the water crisis, and give both the governor and EPA a chance to publicly speak about their perspective. While appearing before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, Governor Snyder admitted that the Flint water crisis was a result of a “failure of government at all levels”. This statement served two purposes for Governor Snyder: it…

March 15, 2016 zacherlaw 0 Comments

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…