Legionnaires’ Disease Outbreaks 2007-2008

Fitness club members in Orlando, 2008 Three members of a health club in Orlando contracted Legionnaires’ disease in 2008. All three had swam in the club’s indoor pool, used the hot tub, and showered there. One of those who became ill was a 33-year old woman. The other two were 65 and 70 years of age. All three survived. Source: orlandosentinel.com

Eleven infant cases and 3 deaths, Cyprus hospital, Dec. 2008 Eleven infants born between December 18 and 22 at a private hospital in Cyprus contracted Legionnaires’ disease. The babies were discharged from the private hospital in good condition but then admitted to the intensive care unit of another hospital between December 25 and 29 because of Legionnaires’ symptoms. Three of the children have died. As of January 20th, one of the babies was still in the hospital, not yet able to breath on its own. The other seven have been treated and released. Reports indicate that portable ultrasonic humidifiers were the source. The maternity ward and nursery were closed on December 29th, immediately following laboratory confirmation of the first cases. Sources: news media and Eurosurveillance.

NJ Hospital, 8 cases, Sept. 2008 Eight patients on the same oncology wing of a New Jersey hospital contracted Legionnaires’ disease in mid to late September, three of whom have died. Legionella was found in the plumbing system in both hot and cold water.

Chicago suburb, 6 cases, Sept. 2008 Five cases of Legionnaires’ disease in Tinley Park and one in Orland Park were diagnosed between September 11th October 1st. All six were hospitalized and have recovered. Investigators have not identified the source of the outbreak. Source: thetimesonline.com

Scarborough, UK, 3 cases, Sept. 2008 Two residents of Scarborough and a visitor to the area contracted Legionnaires’ disease in September. Two of the three have recovered but the other has died. Investigators could not determine the source of the outbreak.

Las Vegas resort, August-Oct. 2008 Health officials said two guests of a Las Vegas resort were diagnosed with Legionnaires’ disease in 2007 and another two in the past two months. All four have recovered. The same resort was associated with an outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease in 2001. Source: Review-Journal and AP

Oneida County, NY, 7 cases, July-Sept. 2008 The Oneida County Health Department has not identified a common link for seven cases of Legionnaires’ disease that occurred in the Upstate New York county from July through October 3rd. All seven have recovered. Sources: uticaod.com and romesentinel.com

Rochester, NY, Nursing Home, 2 Cases, Sept. 2008 Two residents of an assisted living facility in the Rochester area contracted Legionnaires’ disease. The first case occurred in late August and the second about two weeks later. Source: Rochester Democrat and Chronicle

Ontario, 7 Cases, August 2008 Seven residents of Hamilton, Ontario contracted Legionnaires’ disease in August. Although the cases live in the same area, no common source has been identified. All seven have recovered or are expected to.

Elmira, NY, 13 Cases, 1 Death, August 2008 County health officials reported that 13 residents of a senior housing complex in Elmira, New York contacted Legionnaires’ disease in August. One of them has died.

Norway, 5 Cases, 2 Deaths, July 2008 Eastern Norway experienced an outbreak of Legionnaire’s disease in five people from mid-June to late July, two of whom have died.

Syracuse, NY, 13 Cases, 1 Death, July 2008 An outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease, beginning on June 30, in the Onondaga Hill area of Syracuse resulted in 13 infected persons, of whom six were patients at a hospital and one a resident of a nursing home. One of the infected persons has died.

Barcelona, 9 Cases, July 2008 Nine cases of Legionnaires disease occurred in Barcelona among persons living in the east part of Cerdanyola, which is close to where an outbreak ofmore than 100 cases of LD occurred in the summer of 2002. All nine patients were hospitalized and recovered. The first few cases were identified the first week in July.

Charleston, WV, 3 cases, 1 Death, June 2008 One male and two female residents of Charleston, West Virginia contracted Legionnaires’ disease over a two-week period in June. One of the women died and the other two persons were hospitalized in intensive care. The source of contamination was not identified. Source: The Charleston Gazette

Dublin Office Workers, 2 Cases, June 2008 Two office workers contracted Legionnaires disease in Dublin. The first was diagnosed on June 27 and the other about 10 days later. The office building’s cooling tower was the suspected source. Source: dublinpeople.com

Illinois Hotel Guests, 5 Cases, June 2008 In May and June, five confirmed cases of Legionnaires disease occurred among guests of a hotel in McHenry, Illinois. The hotel hot tub was the suspected source for at least two of the cases. Source: Chicago Tribune

Michigan, 3 Cases, May 2008 In a period of about 30 days in April and May, three older men living in Norton Shores, Michigan contracted Legionnaires’ disease. One of the men died. As of the date of the news report, a source had not been identified. Source: woodtv.com

Car Wash in Victoria, Australia, 5 cases, May 2008 Four men, ages 30, 45, 51, and 55, and a 48-year-old woman were hospitalized in Werribee in May after contracting Legionnaires’ disease. The Department of Human Services closed down a car wash after finding that four of the five cases had used it. Sources: Australia Herald Sun and Star News Group   

Vermont Hotel, 3 Cases, April 2008 State health officials closed a Vermont hotel in April after confirming a third case of Legionnaires’ disease among its guests over a six month period. The hotel guests were asked to leave and all hotel employees ordered out. The health department issued a 17-step remediation plan for the hotel that included initial and continuous chlorination and additional water testing. Source: news media

Orlando hotel guests, 4 cases, March 2008 Guests of an Orlando hotel were asked to leave in mid-March after two were hospitalized with Legionnaires’ disease. After further investigation, the Orange County Health Department confirmed a total of four cases among the hotel’s guests. The hotel was voluntarily shut down for a brief period. Source: news media.

Water Tank Workers in Iran, 4 cases, Jan. 2008 In January four individuals suspected of having SARS were admitted to an Iranian hospital where it was later determined that they were suffering from Legionnaires’ disease. Their job was to clean water tanks. Source: Gulf News.

Long Island Senior Centers, 5 Cases, 3 Deaths, September 2007 Three people housed in two senior facilities in Roslyn Heights, New York, died after contracting Legionnaires’ disease in late September. Two other residents contracted the disease and recovered. Residents were restricted from using showers and whirlpool baths until the water systems were disinfected. Source: news media

Russia, 150 Cases, 4 Deaths, July 2007 Since mid July 175 people have been hospitalized due to a pneumonia outbreak in the Urals region of Russia. A total of 150 have been diagnosed with Legionnaires’ disease, 66 of which were confirmed by laboratory tests. At least four have died. The startup of the hot water supply following a lengthy shutdown for maintenance is believed to have caused the outbreak. Most apartment buildings in Russia receive hot water from thermal plants rather than from water heaters within the buildings. The hot water supplies are typically shut down for a few weeks each summer for maintenance.

Cruise ship, 2 Cases, July 2007 Seven passengers became sick with flu-like symptoms while on a Baltic cruise in late July. Pneumonia was confirmed in four passengers, two whose sputum was PCR-positive for Legionella. Legionella was found in water samples collected from the ship by health officials.

Spain, 15 Cases, 1 Death, June 2007 A cooling tower at an ice rink in Malaga, Spain has been blamed for fifteen cases of Legionnaires’ disease that occurred in June, one of which resulted in death. All the people who became ill either live near the ice rink or had passed close by it prior to getting sick. A “very high concentration” of Legionella pneumophila was found in the cooling tower. Source: SUR Newspaper   UK Hotel, 5 Cases, June 2007 Five people who stayed at a hotel in Strathpeffer in June contracted legionnaires’ disease. The cases were confirmed by blood tests. Health officials required an action plan including a risk assessment and a water monitoring program. Source: BBC News

Netherlands Hospital, 4 Cases, 1 Death, May 2007 On May 22, a patient in a Dutch hospital died after contracting Legionnaires’ disease. Three other patients contracted the disease and recovered. The hospital showers were reported as the source of Legionella contamination. Source: DutchNews.nl

Sydney, 6 Cases, January 2007 Six individuals who were in the Circular Quay area of Sydney on New Year’s Eve contracted Legionnaires’ disease. A cooling tower in which 1,400 cfu/ml Legionella was found is a suspected but unconfirmed source of the outbreak. Source: The Sydney Morning Herald

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