According to the Detroit News, an expert for McLaren Regional Medical Center stated that Flint's contaminated water "likely contributed" to the Legionnaires' Disease outbreak in Genesee County. The pathogenic bacteria was found in that hospital's water supply, and a "high number" of those diagnosed with the illness (16 of the 45 cases in that county) were patients at the hospital before they got sick. Janet Stout, a research associate professor at the University of Pittsburgh's Swanson School of Engineering told the paper "the water quality issues, from a microbiological point of view, certainly were a factor in the increase in Legionnaires' Disease in Genesee County." She also said that the legionella bacteria probably entered the hospital via "brown water", delivered by the Flint … [Read more...]
Michigan Cyclospora Cluster Sickens Three
Three people in Michigan have confirmed cases of cyclospora infection, the Michigan Department of Community Health told Food Poisoning Bulletin today. A food source for the cluster of illnesses, concentrated in the southeastern part of the state, has not yet been identified. Spikes in cases of cyclosporiasis, the infection caused by the rare cyclospora parasite, have been reported in 18 other states this summer. In Texas, 124 cases from 31 counties have been reported since mid-June. Health authorities have not yet identified a food source in any of the affected states, nor have they been able to determine which, if any, of the cases may be related. Food sources for past outbreaks have been: restaurant salad, cilantro, basil, raspberries, mesclun and snow peas. Last year, a 25-state … [Read more...]
