Texas Infant born in birthing pool dies of Legionella infection

According to investigators at the Texas Department of State Health Services, an infant in Texas died a few weeks after being born due to a Legionella bacteria infection.  The bacteria are commonly found in warm water in hot tubs and water systems.

The baby was born in a heated birthing pool at home and taken to the hospital six days later due to breathing problems and other signs of an infection.   The infant ultimately died in January 2014 after being hospitalized for 19 days.

In July 2014 there were reports of Legionella found in birthing pools in the UK; public health alerts and advisories were issued after one baby died as a result of exposure to the waterborne bacteria.

According to Elyse Fritschel, an epidemiologist at the Texas Department of State Health Services, "[infants] are in a higher risk category because of their underdeveloped immune system, and their developing physiology."

Public health investigators in Texas reviewed the disinfection process used by the midwifery center that provided the family with the birthing pool.  Investigators also tested the pool and water used to fill the tub for bacteria.

Unfortunately, by the time public health investigators were able to inspect, the birthing tub was already disinfected and placed back into storage, and so Legionella was not detected.  Legionella was not detected in the water either, however, "current testing techniques don't detect this bacterium 100 percent of the time."

"Because Legionella is pretty ubiquitous in the environment, it's not a big stretch to imagine that it would be in the water system, and there were no other exposures that were identified," said Fritschel.

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, giving birth using a birthing pool is generally not recommended because there are no proven benefits and there are a number of potential health risks for the baby including waterborne pathogens.

To read more about this story, please click here.

Through the Legionella Looking Glass – Part 2: A Look at Current Practices and State of the Science

In the April issue of the Healthy Indoors, Dr. J. David Krause, a senior toxicologist and Associate of a Florida-based health sciences firm, discusses complex public health issues involving Legionnaires’ disease.  Topics in his thorough and well-thought article include:

• Difficulties with tracking Legionnaires’ disease outbreaks
• Limits of public health agencies such as local and state health departments and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
• Efficacy and accuracy of testing methods for the different strains of Legionella bacteria which cause Legionnaires’ disease
• Legionnaires’ disease as an under diagnosed and under reported illness
• Relying on surveillance is difficult when the disease is under reported and under diagnosed.  Also, current practices do not always include water system testing or treatment for some facilities.
• Difficulties for public health organizations to take a global approach to control, investigation, and prevention of Legionnaires’ disease.

Currently, there are many inconsistencies regarding Legionella.  For example, “municipal water systems have specific bacterial testing requirements, but Legionella is not among them.  The non-regulatory ‘maximum contaminant level goal’ (MCLG) established by the US EPA for Legionella is zero, but testing for Legionella by municipal water suppliers and achieving this goal is not required.”

This is especially troubling considering a study that was recently published in Environmental Science & Technology, which reported that Legionella pneumophila serogroup 1 (LP1) was found in “nearly half of cold water tap samples taken from 68 different water supplies across the United States.”

To read Dr. Krause’s full article, please click here.

Legionnaires’ disease outbreak at UPMC Presbyterian in Pittsburgh

Legionella bacteria at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) Presbyterian have contributed to three Legionnaires’ disease cases, one of the three patients died from their illness.  The potentially deadly bacteria were found in the ice machines at UPMC Presbyterian and health officials are saying Legionnaires’ disease in patients who aspirate ice chips is highly unusual.

This discovery prompted a massive sterilization of 500 ice machines at UPMC’s 20 hospitals.  According to officials, machines testing positive for Legionella are being removed; all others are being sterilized and fitted for filters.

After a patient tested positive for Legionnaires’ disease, hospital workers tested the water system, but results were negative for Legionella bacteria.  It was later revealed that the patient was restricted to eating ice chips and aspirated a chip which caused bacteria to enter the lungs causing pneumonia.

“When we realized that clinical connection, we said , ‘Ahh, the ice machines!’ and we went and tested the ice machines, and we found Legionella,” said Tami Minnier, the chief quality officer at UPMC.

It was found that Legionella was in less than 20 percent of ice machines at UPMC Presbyterian.

“We discovered that Legionella can grow in ice machines to a degree that we previously hadn’t thought of,” Minnier said.

Following the discovery of Legionella, UPMC officials notified the Pennsylvania Department of Health, Allegheny County Health Department, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

To read more about this story, click here.

4th Legionnaires’ disease case now associated with outbreak at senior home in Florida

A fourth case of Legionnaires’ disease has been confirmed at Camellia at Deerwood, home for the elderly in Jacksonville, Fla.

Department of Health spokesman Charles Griggs said that two residents developed pneumonia associated with Legionella bacteria in March and April.  This observation caused the Department of Health to investigate further and they discovered that there was a related case in November 2013.  Another case this month was confirmed while the investigation was still ongoing.

Perry Brown, facility manager at Camellia, did not say whether any additional residents have become ill since the public health advisory was released by the Duval County Health Department on April 21, but he did say “we are working directly with the Health Department to keep our residents safe.”

To read more about this story, please click here.

Legionnaires’ disease lawsuits at VA Pittsburgh hospitals settled

Families of VA Pittsburgh patients who had contracted Legionnaires’ disease are relieved that a settlement has been reached in the lawsuit against the VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System.  They remain frustrated, however, that VA personnel will not be held accountable for the outbreak which included at least 22 illnesses and 6 deaths.

“I’m relieved it’s over, but it’s not nearly what they deserved,” said Debbie Balawejder whose father was 85-year-old Frank “Sonny” Calcagno, who died Nov. 22, 2011 due to Legionnaires’ disease.

“To me, what they did was criminal,” Balawejder continued.  “They’re never going to pay the way they should for what they did.”

U.S. Rep. Keith Rothfus agreed that “these settlements have nothing to do with holding the individuals responsible for [the veterans’] deaths accountable.”

Rep Rothfus also said that there are still “questions that the VA must answer.”

Multiple other members of congress have been involved in this Veterans Affairs situation, including Reps. Tom Murphy and Mike Doyle, and Senators Bob Casey and Pat Toomey.

To read more about this story, please click here.

Charleville Hospital’s theater to close again

The Charleville Hospital located in Australia will have to close its theater once again to have its plumbing replaced.  The theater was closed for several months last year due to the finding of Legionella bacteria, and has plans to close again in May or June of this year.

Meryl Brumpton from the South-West Hospital and Health Service says these are necessary precautions to ensure that the bacteria do not return.

“Because we’ve got old plumbing, it has dead legs in it, so water can sit in places for periods of time and the Legionella can grow, so that’s one major risk,” she was reported saying.

According to Ms. Brumpton, nearly $5 million is being invested to raise the hospital to good standards.

It is anticipated for the refurbishment to finish at the beginning of next year.

Man travelling from Singapore to Australia contracts Legionnaires’ disease

An employee of the Jan De Nul Group at the Fortescue Metals Group camp in South Hedland in West Australia has been in the hospital for a week battling a severe form of Legionnaires’ disease.

He became symptomatic while staying at the camp earlier this March and was diagnosed after being flown out for treatment.

The man had travelled from Singapore on a Jan De Nul vessel to spend several weeks in February working in Port Hedland.

A spokesman at Fortescue Metals Group claimed that the camp had no sources in which the man could have contracted Legionnaires’ disease, a potentially deadly form of pneumonia.  However, he also said that “as a precautionary measure we are undertaking testing around the site.”

http://www.legionnairelawyer.com/man-travelling-from-singapore-to-australia-contracts-legionnaires-disease/ 

Dartmouth Police Headquarters shuts down after Legionella discovered

Update 3/25/14: South Coast Today reported that the Dartmouth Police Headquarters station that shut down earlier this month due to Legionella will remain closed for at least another two months.  This means that the station may not be open until May at the earliest.  Police Chief Timothy M. Lee is erring on the side of caution and waiting for all test results to come back clean before re-opening the Dartmouth Police Headquarters; his main concern is to keep all 82 employees, which includes 67 police officers, safe.  

During this disinfection process, the police are working out of rented trailers and a mobile command center in the station's parking lot.  So far, the building's plumbing system has been flushed with 160˚F water to kill any Legionella bacteria.  Test results are expected to return this week, but the additional wait time is to ensure that the bacteria do not return.

A Dartmouth police officer became ill and was diagnosed Legionnaires’ disease earlier this March.

As a result, testing was done on the Dartmouth Police Headquarters, and the police station was subsequently shut down temporarily due to the finding of Legionella (bacteria causing Legionnaires’ disease) in the facility’s water system.

Currently, there is no date set for the reopening of the police headquarters, but steps are being taken to eradicate the bacteria.

West Texas VA still addressing Legionella problem in water supply

CBS recently spoke with VA officials to follow-up on the Legionella bacteria situation.

West Texas VA found Legionella in their water system in September 2013 and underwent remediation to disinfect the system.  Subsequent tests over the last few months still showed a presence of the bacteria.  The hospital has since treated the water system by super heating the water and chlorinating four different times.

According to officials at the West Texas VA, the Department of Veterans Affairs requires that hospitals test their water once a year, but that they intend to test more often than the VA requirement.

To read more about treatment the various treatment methods that are available, please visit The Journal of Legionella and the Law.

Two patients with Legionnaires’ disease die at IU Health University Hospital

The IU (Indiana University) Health University Hospital announced yesterday, February 4 that two of its patients diagnosed with Legionnaires ’ disease had died.

According to the medical director of infection control for Indiana University Health, Dr. Douglas Webb, one patient’s death was linked to Legionnaires’ disease, a pneumonia caused by Legionella bacteria; the other patient who died also had Legionella pneumonia, but it is unclear whether or not this illness was a major contributing factor to the death.

Indiana University Health tested its water system after the second diagnosis of Legionnaires’ disease and found Legionella bacteria.  The hospital tests its water regularly, but Webb said this is the first instance he’s known the hospital to test positive for Legionella.  IU Health workers treated the hospital’s water over the weekend and subsequent tests results showed that the attempts were successful in eradicating the bacteria from the system.

In the summer of 2012, Kent Carson, a 55-year-old man from Round Lake Beach outside of Chicago, became ill with a severe case of Legionnaires’ disease.  The severity of his case necessitated the amputation of both his legs below the knee, and left arm below the elbow.  His especially severe case, along with the other current cases and outbreaks, prompt questions about ‘safe levels’ of Legionellaand the cost of a life.

While recovering, Carson warned that “Legionnaires’ disease is still out there…It needs to be prevented and diagnosed.”

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 8,000-18,000 people in the U.S. are hospitalized each year for Legionnaires’ disease, and 5-30% of these cases are fatal.  “With the increase over the last 10 years, enough people are sick and dying – what’s the cost of a life?” Carson asked.

To read more about Kent Carson’s story, please visit the Chicago Tribune for the full article.

The American Legion’s System Worth Saving Task Force has issued a report following a series of interviews conducted during an investigation of the Pittsburgh VA Legionnaires’ disease outbreak in 2011 and 2012.

According to Jacob Gadd, Deputy Director for Health Care at the American Legion in Washington D.C., one of the main issues was with the Veterans Administration central offices not allowing local facilities to respond to a crisis; this, in turn, lowered veterans’ confidence in the medical center.

Gadd also says that the VA Medical Center is much safer now and exceeds CDC recommendations for infection prevention.

To learn more about the American Legion recommendations, please click on the link below to listen to the NPR Pittsburgh interview with Jacob Gadd, Deputy Director for Health Care at the American Legion.

http://wesa.fm/post/american-legion-recommends-prevention-plan-legionella-outbreaks 

Jules Zacher has been retained for three new Legionnaires' disease cases

Jules Zacher, Esq. has been retained for three new Legionnaires’ disease cases.

All three cases come from different parts of the country.  Two cases involve patients who died as a result of the illness; one was from Maine and the other was associated with the Legionnaires’ disease outbreak in Allentown, PA.  The third case involves a person who contracted the illness while in Hawaii with family; the firm is investigating a potential outbreak at a hotel on Kauai, Hawaii.

Jules Zacher is an attorney at law who has been practicing for over 35 years.  He is known across the country for his experience with Legionnaires’ disease cases and has been referred by both clients and other attorneys.

He has had success representing victims of Legionnaires’ disease and trying cases in federal and state courts.  Mr. Zacher is currently working on numerous cases across the country in Hawaii, Nevada, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, and Maine.