As if there weren't enough things to worry about, a new Michigan Department of Health and Human Services warning says Legionnaires' Disease has been diagnosed in Southeastern Michigan.

LD is a respiratory infection caused by Legionella bacteria. LD is a severe infection that includes symptoms of fever, cough and radiologic findings consistent with pneumonia. Legionella bacteria are naturally occurring in fresh water sources. The organism can multiply in man made water systems such as cooling towers, decorative fountains, hot tubs and large building plumbing systems. After Legionella grows and multiplies in a building water system, water containing Legionella can spread in droplets small enough for people to breathe in. People can get LD when they breathe in small droplets of water in the air that contain the bacteria. - MDHHS

According to a release issued by MDHHS, it says it's investigating a case of Legionnaires’ Disease (LD) in a patient who spent time in McLaren Flint Hospital. "This is part of an ongoing investigation of a cluster of cases reported in 2018 and 2019 with exposure histories that involve the hospital. The most recent case spent their exposure period as an inpatient at McLaren Flint Hospital and had an illness onset in the beginning of May 2019. The identification of a potential source of these infections is on-going and involves local, state, and federal public health agencies and McLaren Flint Hospital. Hospital administration has been cooperating with the investigation.

 

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