Two deaths may be due to Legionnaire’s disease at Vets Home

An outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease at Quincy’s Illinois Veterans Home have left residents dead, and the number of lab-confirmed cases on the property keeps climbing.

The health department said the two residents at the home in Quincy, about 300 miles southwest of Chicago, had underlying medical conditions. “That’s why we have so many people working on this process”. It’s not transmitted from person to person, with most people getting it from inhaling the Legionella bacteria.

Legionella bacteria grow in areas of warm water.

However, both had been among 23 residents of the facility diagnosed with the disease.

“Legionnaires’ disease can be a unsafe illness, especially in older adults who have weaker immune systems”, said IDPH Director Nirav D. Shah, M.D., J.D.

Officials say twenty patients Building 31 have either been reassigned to other hospital units, or placed in outpatient programs until remediation efforts are complete. Common water sources include decorative fountains, hot tubs, shower areas, and cooling towers.

Drummond tells WGEM-TV the health department is recommending elderly people and anyone who’s sick or has immunity issues should not visit the home. “We are employing established infectious disease control protocols, and operating to help safeguard our residents”.