A fourth patient at University of Washington Medical Center was infected with Legionella bacteria in the ongoing Legionnaires' disease outbreak at the Seattle-based hospital, officials discovered Friday.
The patient contracted Legionnaires' disease before water restrictions were implemented at the hospital's Cascade Tower in an effort to prevent additional Legionella infections. The patient is in "satisfactory condition," according to the hospital.
Two of the four patients who developed Legionnaires' disease, a type of pneumonia, in the outbreak have died.
An ice machine and a sink were implicated as the source of the Legionella. Patients, visitors and staff are using bottled water to prevent further spread of the bacteria and no one is using drinking fountains, sinks or coffee stands. UW Medical Center will clean the water system with chlorine this week, the Seattle Times reported, and the ice machines are being cleaned.
Find more information on Legionella and Legionnaires' disease here.