Health officials have found evidence connecting cases of Legionnaires' disease to the Co-Op City complex in the Bronx. "Although additional testing needs to be done, the association between the people with Legionnaires' disease and Co-Op city is substantial," said attorney Fred Pritzker. "Sometimes filing a lawsuit is the only way to get answers." Since December 2014, 12 cases of Legionnaires’ disease have been diagnosed among Bronx residents, according to the New York City Department of Health. Of these, 8 were Co-Op City residents. Health officials found Legionella bacteria in water used in the cooling towers at the facility, according to a department press release. The infected water is used to cool Co-Op City's heating and electrical systems. Legionnaires' disease is caused by … [Read more...]
Report: Iowa VA Patients Not Told of Legionnaires’ Risk
Patients at Veterans Affairs hospital in Iowa were not told that the bacteria that causes Legionnaires' Disease had been found at the facility, according to a report Sunday in the Des Moines Register. Some patients are wondering why they weren't told. The facility plans to spend $6.5 million to replace the plumbing in the patient care areas of the 600,000-square-foot facility. The work is supposed to begin next year. A 2012 Legionnaire’s outbreak at the Pittsburgh VA killed six patients and sickened at least 22 others. Health officials in Pennsylvania are currently trying to determine if a veteran recently diagnosed with Legionnaires’ contracted the disease at the facility. Legionnaires’ disease, a severe form of pneumonia caused by Legionella bacteria, is transmitted when … [Read more...]
Legionnaires’ Disease Closes Ocean City Econo Lodge Early
The Econo Lodge in Ocean City, Md. is the likely source of two cases of Legionnaires' disease. Two guests who stayed at the hotel were diagnosed with the disease, and tests revealed low levels of Legionella bacteria in the hotel's water pipes, according to Worcester County health officials. The two case patients did not stay at the hotel together. One was there in August, the other weeks earlier. "Genetic testing is one way to prove that water at a specific hotel caused cases of Legionnaires' Disease," said Fred Pritzker, an attorney who represents clients in Legionnaires' Disease lawsuits against hotels. "This involves isolating and comparing portions of genes from Legionella bacteria to see if they match." The hotel voluntarily closed early for the season and is working to … [Read more...]
Legionnaires’ Disease Strikes 20 in Forsyth County, NC
Twenty people in Forsyth County including one patient at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center and seven patients at Oak Forest Health and Rehabilitation ave been diagnosed with Legionnaire's Disease this year. Health officials have not been able to find the source of contamination. Both facilities get water from the Winston-Salem Forsyth County Water Treatment plant, but it does not arrive contaminated, they say. Legionnaires’ disease is a severe form of pneumonia caused by breathing in Legionella bacteria contained in water mist from showers, faucets, whirlpools, swimming pools, fountains and cooling towers in air conditioning systems. It got its name because it was first discovered when an outbreak of pneumonia struck an American Legion convention in 1976. It's likely that shower … [Read more...]
Multiple Sources Likely Caused Spike in Milwaukee Area Legionnaires’ Cases
A spike in Legionnaires' disease cases in the Milwaukee area last summer was likely caused by multiple sources, according to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). During a three-month period last summer, Milwaukee County reported more than twice the number of annual cases and health investigators scrambled to find the source. Legionnaires' disease is a severe form of pneumonia that is transmitted when water vapor contaminated with Legionella bacteria is inhaled. It can't be transmitted from person-to-person. It got its name from a 1976 outbreak that struck an American Legion convention in Philadelphia. A less severe form of legionella infection is called Pontiac fever. Each year, between 8,000 and 18,000 Americans are sickened by infections from … [Read more...]
Contaminated Water at Oakland VA Hospital Possible Cause of Legionnaires’ Disease Death in Pennsylvania
A Pennsylvania veteran, John McChesney, has died from Legionnaires’ disease, a form of pneumonia caused by Legionella pneumophila bacteria. His death may be connected to the outbreak of the illness linked to the University Drive VA hospital in Oakland, PA, part of the Pittsburgh VA Healthcare System. He died on October 23, 2012. “The VA needs to be held accountable for the illnesses and deaths caused by contaminated water at the Oakland VA hospital,” said Fred Pritzker, an attorney who recently won $3,000,000 for a family whose loved one died of Legionnaires’ disease. “I have handled many of these cases, and in every one proven that the illnesses could have been prevented. That certainly appears to be the true in this outbreak. There is evidence that the water purification system at … [Read more...]
Legionnaires Case Shuts Down Dallas Hotel
The SuperMedia Hotel and Conference Center, a hotel near the Dallas airport, closed temporarily this week after a guest was diagnosed with Legionnaires' Disease. It is not yet known if the guest contracted the disease at the hotel or elsewhere, but the hotel closed temporarily while tests are being conducted. "A guest at the hotel attached to SuperMedia’s offices was treated for Legionnaires’ disease and released from a nearby hospital. After the one case was initially reported to us, we took the precautionary step of asking our employees to work from alternate locations while the appropriate tests were being conducted. No other cases have been reported and we don’t know that this case originated from the hotel," Andrew Shane, a SuperMedia spokesperson, told Food Poisoning … [Read more...]
