53-year-old New Zealand resident, Susan Dromgool, slipped into a two-week coma after contracting Legionnaires’ disease in December 2016. She had been using potting soil to plant succulents and believed she had taken the appropriate safety measures since she wore gloves and used the potting mix in a well-ventilated area. However, the evening after planting the succulents, she began to experience chills and her symptoms progressively got worse. She was admitted to the hospital and put in an induced coma. She woke up approximately two weeks later with no memory of the events surrounding her illness. Ms. Dromgool gradually recovered and…
Health officials in Fresno County, Calif. reported earlier this week that a patient at a nursing home died due to Legionnaires’ disease. Additional details about the patient and date of death were not released; however, the health department has been investigating the NorthPointe Health Centre since January 23, 2017. According to health officials, no other cases of Legionnaires’ disease were identified at this nursing home. A different nursing home, Horizon Health & Subacute Center in northeast Fresno, however, also experienced a Legionella scare in January when the bacteria were found at the facility. A resident was diagnosed with a respiratory illness, but the…
The Kingsway nursing home in Schenectady, New York conducted routine and mandated testing for the presence of Legionella bacteria. On November 23, 2016, the results indicated that 30 percent of the water samples were positive for non-pneumonic Legionella. The facility flushed the pipes with scalding hot water (160 degrees) to kill off the bacteria momentarily while it arranges for a long-term solution. The strain of Legionella found at the facility is not typically responsible for Legionnaires’ disease, but could possibly cause pneumonia or other illnesses. New York State regulations require that nursing homes test their potable water and report results if…
On September 1, 2016, State Correctional Institution (“SCI”) – Pittsburgh announced the presence of Legionella within its facility. However, the facility tested positive for Legionella as early as May of this year. SCI-Pittburgh’s medical director, Joseph Mollura (60) died of complications resulting from Legionella pneumonia on August 8, 2016. However, a May 12, 2016 report regarding testing performed at the prison on May 4, 2016 revealed that the cooling tower known as “No. 1,” which served the prison’s medical department, was found positive for Legionella. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration recommends that any cooling tower that has 100 cfu/ml or more of bacteria…
Three members of one family have been diagnosed with Legionnaires’ disease in upstate New York. The three cases were not geographically linked and did not begin at the same time. Niagara officials have yet to determine the possible sources of the bacteria, but investigation is ongoing. Richard Jepson, 68, was a resident of Lockport, NY. He had been undergoing treatment for cancer but was hospitalized briefly with Legionnaires’ disease in July before passing away at the Buffalo General Hospital on July 22, 2016. Six weeks after Mr. Jepson’s death, his stepdaughter Debra Trammell, 50, and his ex-wife Patricia Lord, 70, were…
State health officials have identified the likely source of a record-setting Legionnaires’ disease outbreak in Hopkins, MN. The bacteria has been traced to a set of cooling towers at Citrus Systems, Inc., a local beverage manufacturer. 23 people have fallen ill with Legionnaires’ disease in Hopkins; 17 of them were hospitalized, and one died. The town has been struggling to identify the source of the outbreak since early September. Health officials studied the distribution of cases and the habits of the individuals affected; several water sources throughout the town were tested for Legionella bacteria. The investigation was eventually narrowed to cover a…
Officials at the University of Michigan at Flint have announced that Legionella bacteria have been found in a residence hall on campus. No associated cases of Legionnaires’ disease have yet been reported. Three locations within the water supply of the Riverfront Residence Hall, a dormitory located on the banks of Flint River, have tested positive for Legionella. UM-Flint Chancellor Susan Borrego has stated that university officials are flushing the water system in the dorm and consulting health authorities. The CDC and the Genesee County Health Department have been notified and have confirmed that none of the 10 cases reported in Genesee County so…
Lead researcher Dr. Jeffrey Griffiths of Tufts University School of Medicine in Boston, who serves as a professor of public health and medicine, explained that his team analyzed 100 million Medicare records dated between 1991 and 2006. During that time, over 617,000 Americans had been hospitalized due to infection resulting from exposure to Legionella, which is responsible for Legionnaires’ disease; pseudomonas, which can develop into pneumonia; and mycobacteria, which can cause tuberculosis among other illnesses. These bacteria can live in pipes and survive on small amounts of nutrients found in water. Although most often water treatment plants are in place to help…
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…