Missouri health officials are investigating a possible Legionnaires’ disease outbreak at Phelps Health hospital in Rolla. Four patients previously hospitalized at Phelps Health developed Legionnaires’ disease, a severe, often deadly form of pneumonia. The first case occurred in May 2021.
Contact the Pritzker Hageman Legionnaires’ Team
Phone: 1-888-377-8900 | Text: 1-612-261-0856
Contact a Legionnaires’ Disease Lawyer
People get Legionnaires’ disease when they inhale water vapor that is contaminated with legionella bacteria. It is not spread through person-to-person contact. So, state health officials want healthcare providers and the general public to be aware of this potential health concern affecting anyone who may have had contact with a water source within the hospital.
Symptoms of Legionnaires disease, which usually develop within 14 days of exposure, include fever, cough, shortness of breath, headache, and muscle aches. Legionnaires disease can be treated with antibiotics, but most people with these infections require hospitalization. About 10 percent of all cases are fatal.
Some people are at heightened risk of contracting Legionnaires’ disease including:
- Current and former smokers
- People over 50
- People who have chronic lung disease, liver failure, cancer, or diabetes
- People with weakened immune systems
Legionella are found in nature but grow best in the warm, stagnant water of manmade structures. Because plumbing systems hospitals, hotels, apartment buildings, and long-term care facilities are often identified as the source of outbreaks, they are supposed to have water management plans in place that include legionella mitigation. Missouri health officials are working with the hospital to identify the source of the problem by monitoring and testing the water system.
About our Legionnaires’ Disease Legal Team
Our Legionnaires’ lawyers represent Legionella outbreak victims and their families. For the past 40 years, we have been representing people who developed serious illnesses because corporate wrongdoers failed to put water safety plans in place. Our lawyers recently filed a lawsuit on behalf of a man who developed Legionnaires’ disease after a senior living facility in Illinois failed to properly maintain and clean its water system.
One of the first steps you should take after being diagnosed with Legionnaires’ disease is to consult with an experienced lawyer. For a free consultation with one of our lawyers, please call 612-338-0202, text 612-261-0856, or fill out the form below.
