Kettering Medical Center detects Legionella in water supply

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Kettering Medical Center in Miamisburg, Ohio, detected Legionella bacteria in its hot water system in mid-March, reports local news station WHIO.

The hospital is treating its water supply to eliminate the bacteria and will conduct further testing to confirm it's gone, according to a statement from Kettering (Ohio) Health Network, which owns the hospital.

"As additional measures, filters have been installed and bottled drinking water was provided to patients and staff," the health system said in a March 19 statement to Becker's.

The bacteria's presence has not interrupted routine hospital operations, and staff are monitoring patients closely for any signs of Legionnaires' disease, according to Kettering Health Network.

Legionnaires' disease is contracted when water droplets containing Legionella bacteria are inhaled. About 10 percent of people who contract Legionnaires' die, according to the CDC.

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