Legionella E-news -- 13 January 2010

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Legionella E-news, 13 January 2010
HC Info
Matthew R. Freije, Editor

**IN THIS ISSUE**
1. Outbreaks
2. Jury Verdict in Legionnaires' Lawsuit
3. LD Guidelines Issued in Ireland

1. OUTBREAKS
Retirement community in Illinois: Three confirmed and seven suspected cases of Legionnaires' disease occurred among residents of a retirement community in the Chicago area. Two have died. The first case died in September; the subsequent cases were identified in November. A rain forest, water fall, and spa located in the atrium of the facility were shut down by investigators. Source: Daily Herald

Hospital in UK: Two patients at a hospital in Essex contracted Legionnaires' disease. The hospital reported that water test results indicated it was the probable source. As of the 8 January report, both patients had responded to antibiotics but one was still in a critical condition. Source: BBC News

Senior apartment complex in Baltimore: Six elderly residents contracted Legionnaires' disease, one of whom died. The outbreak was investigated in October. Source: Baltimore Sun

Hotel in Miami: Three guests of a hotel in Miami contracted Legionnaires' and one died. A European man left on a cruise after staying at the hotel in late September but was rushed back to a hospital where he died. A second man contracted LD while at the hotel in late November. Health officials did not recognize the outbreak until December when a third case occurred in a woman who visited the hotel. Source: Miami Herald

2. JURY VERDICT IN LEGIONNAIRES' LAWSUIT
A jury awarded $490,000 to a 57-year-old woman who contracted Legionnaires' disease after staying at a Vermont hotel in 2008. The hotel is now closed and the former owners declared bankruptcy. Source: claimsjournal.com

3. LD GUIDELINES ISSUED IN IRELAND
The Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC) produced the National Guidelines for the Control of Legionellosis in Ireland, 2009. You can get it at http://www.ndsc.ie/hpsc/A-Z/Respiratory/Legionellosis/Publications/File,3936,en.pdf.

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