Cryptosporidium and Legionnaires' Disease outbreaks associated with treated creational water during 2000 to 2014 are traced by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in their weekly Morbidity and Mortality Report for the week of May 18, 2018. During that time frame, 493 outbreaks caused at least 27,219 illnesses and eight deaths. Public health officials, owners of these parks, bathers, and parents of young children can help minimize the risk for these outbreaks. Cryptosporidium outbreaks increased 25% by year during the 2000 - 2006 seasons, but no significant trend occurred after 2007. These outbreaks are caused by both pathogens and chemicals in venues such as pools, hot tubs and spas, and interactive water play features. Among the 363 outbreaks with a confirmed … [Read more...]
CDC Tracks Cryptosporidium and Legionnaires Disease Outbreaks Traced to Treated Recreational Water
Pritzker Hageman Files Lawsuit in Hopkins MN Legionnaires’ Outbreak
The law firm of Pritzker Hageman has filed a lawsuit on behalf of a client who was sickened in the Legionnaires' Disease outbreak in Hopkins, Minnesota. The lawsuit was filed in Hennepin County District Court on October 13, 2016 (file no. 27-CV-16-15044). The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) identified the source of the pathogenic bacteria on October 12, 2016, as cooling towers at Citrus Systems. Citrus Systems' facility is located at 415 11th Avenue South in Hopkins. Public health officials based their conclusion on the distribution of cases and where they live, work, or were in Hopkins, along with the test results from water samples taken from Citrus Systems' cooling towers. Laboratory tests found the outbreak strain of Legionella bacteria in one of the towers. Cooling towers … [Read more...]
Citrus Systems Products Not Involved with MN Legionnaires Outbreak
The Minnesota State Department of Health is telling the public that food products made and packaged at the Citrus Systems facility in Hopkins are not affected by nor involved in the Legionnaires' Disease outbreak linked to that facility. Consumers have been calling MDH with questions about this outbreak. The Citrus Systems building is a beverage processing and distribution facility. They also develop and formulate products, design labels, and offer shipping. The water system used to make the beverages is completely separate from the system used by the cooling towers. Legionella bacteria do not cause illness through eating food or drinking water or beverages. The infection is also not passed person-to-person. The only way to get Legionnaires' Disease is by inhaling the bacteria in … [Read more...]
MN Identifies Source of Hopkins Legionnaires’ Disease Outbreak
The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) announced today that it has identified the likely source of the Legionnaires' Disease outbreak in Hopkins. A set of cooling towers at Citrus Systems, Inc., at 415 11th Avenue South in Hopkins tested positive for the pathogenic bacteria. Test results of water samples taken from Citrus System's cooling towers showed the outbreak strain of bacteria. The bacteria matched the strain of bacteria taken from patients sickened in this outbreak. Other cooling towers in the area were sampled, but none of them had the outbreak strain of Legionella. Twenty-three people have been sickened in this outbreak. Of those patients, 17 were hospitalized. One person died. The last date that an illness was reported was on September 22, 2016, almost three weeks … [Read more...]
Legionnaires’ Outbreak in Danville, IL Sickens Three
A possible Legionnaires' Disease outbreak in Danville, Illinois may have sickened three people. Doug Toole, public health administrator at the Vermilion County Health Department told Food Poisoning Bulletin that three people developed the illness after visiting the Red Roof Inn at 389 Lynch Drive in Danville between October 2015 and September 2016. Two of those sickened are from Michigan, and the other patient lives in northern Illinois. The Illinois Department of Public Health collected samples from that facility on October 5, 2016. The hotel has closed the hotel's pool and whirlpool, according to news reports. An advisory posted at the Vermilion County Health Department web site doesn't say much other than give facts about Legionnaires' Disease. This illness is caused by … [Read more...]
Minnesota Legionnaires’ Disease Outbreak Sickens 23
The Minnesota Department of Health says that 23 people who live or work in Hopkins have contracted Legionnaires' Disease. Three more cases were confirmed by MDH between September 28 and September 30, 2016. The most recent illness onset date is September 22. According to that news release, seven cooling towers in that city are being investigated in connection to this outbreak. As of September 29, 2016, all of those cooling towers have been or are being remediated by their owners. Remediation is complex and can consist of heating the water in the building's system to 157°F, draining tanks, cleaning them, chlorination, and frequent re-testing. Interviews with patients or their family members didn't uncover a common exposure, such as visits to a restaurant, store, or specific … [Read more...]
Legionnaires’ Disease Outbreak Kills 1, Sickens 17 in Hopkins, MN
The Minnesota Department of Health is scrambling to pinpoint the source of a serious outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease that has sickened 17 people who had been living, visiting, or working in Hopkins, Minnesota since August 4th. One of these victims has now died. The person who died was elderly and was one of the previously confirmed patients. Doug Schultz of the Minnesota Department of Health confirmed those numbers. All of the cases were exposed before or during the first full week of September 2016, before the outbreak was identified. The victims, all exposed to the potentially fatal Legionella pneumonia bacteria in the Hopkins vicinity, range in age from their 20s to their 90s; most are elderly or have chronic health conditions. Legionella bacteria are commonly found in the … [Read more...]
2 Cardiac Patients at UW Medical Center Diagnosed with Legionnaires’ Disease; 1 Dead.
Two patients who were admitted to the University of Washington Medical Center (UWMC)’s cardiac unit in late August were subsequently diagnosed with Legionnaires’ disease, a severe form of pneumonia which can be fatal in up to 50% of hospital-acquired cases. While one of these unnamed patients was treated and released, the other patient – a resident of Benton County – has died. According to the Seattle Times, the first case was reported on August 26, 2016. At this time, hospital officials said that it was unknown whether the patient had contracted Legionnaires’ disease in the community or in the hospital. However, a second patient admitted to the same cardiac unit during the same timeframe was then also diagnosed with the potentially fatal illness. Legionnaires’ disease is not … [Read more...]
Legionnaires’ Outbreak at Meadowbrook Inn & Suites in NC; 3 Sickened
The source of a Legionnaires’ disease outbreak that has infected three guests at Meadowbrook Inn & Suites in Blowing Rock, North Carolina has not yet been identified, according to the Appalachian District Health Department (AppHealthCare). The health department has released a public health advisory to alert visitors to the mountain resort community about this recent outbreak. According to this advisory, the three victims all visited the 62-room hotel, located one block from central Blowing Rock, between April 15 and June 15. Each had stayed at the hotel within the 2- to 10-day incubation period in which Legionella bacteria, once inhaled or aspirated into one’s body, develops into full-blown Legionnaires’ disease. All three people were hospitalized, treated, and are now … [Read more...]
Legionnaires’ Disease Strikes 2 (Possibly 3) Guests at WorldMark Kapa`a Shore Resort
Hawaii’s Department of Health recently released a statement to Hawaii News Now alerting the public that at least two guests at the WorldMark Kapa`a Shore Resort contracted Legionnaires’ disease between late April and early May of this year. The two confirmed cases, according to Hawaii Department of Health spokesperson Janice Okubo, are recovering from the illness in their home states. The health department is still investigating a third possible case. Legionnaires’ disease is a potentially fatal disease that occurs when people breathe in water vapor or aspirate potable water contaminated with Legionella pneumonia bacteria. Common sources include hotel hot tubs / spas, drinking fountains, architectural water features, cooling towers, and heating / cooling systems. According to a … [Read more...]
