The Chillicothe Gazette (1) states that the VA Medical Center in that city is confirming that one person is sick with Legionnaires’ Disease at the facility. The patient was living at the Center and developed pneumonia-like symptoms.
Doctors suspected the illness was more than simple pneumonia and ordered more tests. Jessie Williams, PA specialist for the Center said, “if legionella pneumonia is suspected, laboratory testing is completed on the patient and a careful history is reviewed to determine a possible source of the bacteria. There is concern for determining the source of the infection, especially in a case that appears to have been contracted by a patient living in a nursing home setting.” The patient is being treated with antibiotics.
The hospital claims it tests the water regularly for legionella bacteria. But in large facilities, especially the huge water systems in older buildings, the pathogenic bacteria can lurk in the pipes. Legionella bacteria is expelled into the air through mist from hot tubs, fountains, showers, cooling towers that are part of large building air conditioning systems, and hot water tanks. People contract this illness by inhaling the bacteria in that mist. This illness is not spread person-to-person.
Many facilities, especially those with older systems, test for the legionella bacteria. Water conditions that promote the growth of this bacteria include stagnation, water temperatures between 68° and 122°F, a pH between 5.0 and 8.5, and sediment that promotes the growth of microflora, according to OSHA (2). Air samples rarely show the presence of the bacteria, so frequent testing of water systems is necessary.
The symptoms of Legionnaires’ Disease include coughing, shortness of breathe, headaches, high fever, and muscle aches. People who are most at risk of contracting this illness include current or former smokers, those over the age of 50, anyone who has a weakened or compromised immune system, and those with a chronic lung disease.
While this illness is not technically considered an “outbreak,” because only one person is sick, the person was living at the Veterans Administration facility before they became ill.
Sources
1. Chillicothe Gazette “VA confirms case of Legionnaires’ Disease.”
2. United States Department of Labor Occupational Safety & Health Adminstration.