Legionella E-news -- 12 June 2001

**IN THIS ISSUE**

1. Legionnaires' Hits Ford a Second Time

2. 7 cases, 2 deaths, Associated with Melbourne Hospital

3. Lawsuit Against Jacuzzi, Other Whirlpool Manufacturers

4. New Legionella Prevention Training Course

5. Legionnaires' Patient Case Study

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1. LEGIONNAIRES' HITS FORD A SECOND TIME

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Two Ford Motor Company workers became ill shortly after repairing a ruptured pipe on April 4. The pipe carried pond water to the Dynamometer Building in Ford's Research and Engineering complex in Dearborn, Michigan. Legionnaires' disease was confirmed in one of the men; the other showed elevated antibodies to Legionella bacteria. Both have returned to work. Source: The Detroit News

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2. 7 CASES, 2 DEATHS, ASSOCIATED WITH MELBOURNE HOSPITAL

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Seven cases of Legionnaires' disease have been associated with a Melbourne (Australia) hospital -- four patients, one construction worker at an adjacent site, and two hospital employees. Three of the cases occurred in late March or early April, one in May, and three in early June. Two men who were outpatients have died. One of the hospital employees remains in serious condition but is improving. The hospital CEO said 14 cooling towers at the hospital and surrounding buildings had been tested for Legionella but the bacterium was not detected, which is the reason the hospital waited two months to announce the outbreak. Health authorities have not identified the source. Source: Australian Broadcasting Corporation and news.com.au.

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3. LAWSUIT AGAINST JACUZZI, OTHER WHIRLPOOL MANUFACTURERS

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An article that appeared in the Dallas Observer on 7 June 2001 summarizes a lawsuit filed against Jacuzzi and other whirlpool bathtub manufacturers by consumers who contend that the whirlpools made them ill. The article is posted at http://www.dallasobserver.com/issues/2001-06-07/feature.html/printable_page.

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4. NEW LEGIONELLA PREVENTION TRAINING COURSE

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HC Information Resources now offers an intensive two-day training program on how to assess and minimize the risk of Legionella and other waterborne pathogens in hospitals and other large buildings. The course is for hospital facility managers, safety officers, and infection control coordinators, as well as for public health officials, plumbing inspectors, and professionals that offer services related to water treatment, plumbing systems, cooling towers, indoor air quality, industrial hygiene, or infection control. Matt Freije is the instructor. The course will be offered for $495 on 18-19 September 2001, in Baltimore, at the Sheraton Hotel BWI Airport. For more information, visit

http://hcinfo.com/legionellaseminar.htm or e-mail hcinfo@hcinfo.com.

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5. LEGIONNAIRES' PATIENT CASE STUDY

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The Northern California Branch of the American Society for Microbiology has posted a Legionnaires' case study at http://www.asmusa.org/branch/brcano/Legionella.html. For more information on clinical aspects of Legionnaires' disease, visit http://www.legionella.org.

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(c) Copyright 2001, HC Information Resources Inc.

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THANK YOU!

Matt Freije

HC Information Resources Inc.

http://hcinfo.com