Six of the Legionnaires’ cases have been confirmed since mid-September. The seventh case was reported this summer. The Macomb County Health Department and the Michigan Department of HHS are investigating the source of the outbreak.
“Though the investigation is ongoing and a definite source has not been identified, we are responding with an abundance of caution and partnering with the Macomb County Health Department to identify targeted areas in the hospital to implement additional precautions to our water management efforts,” a hospital spokesperson said in an Oct. 9 statement cited by the Detroit Free Press.
Legionnaires’ disease is contracted when water droplets containing Legionella bacteria are inhaled. Ten percent of people who contract Legionnaires’ die, according to the CDC. The rate of reported cases has increased 550 percent since 2000.
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