Seven confirmed cases and five possible cases of Legionnaires' disease have been tied to the East Texas State Fair, announced the Northeast Texas Public Health District Nov. 1 after a separate Legionnaires' outbreak was linked to a North Carolina state fair.
"The people who had confirmed cases so far attended the East Texas State Fair," George Roberts Jr., NET Health CEO, told KLTV.
NET Health Disease Surveillance Division is working with organizers of the East Texas State Fair to investigate cases potentially linked to the fair, which was held Sept. 20-29.
Officials are currently testing water sources for Legionella bacteria in the Harvey Convention Center and on the fairgrounds, John Sykes, president and CEO of East Texas State Fair, told KLTV.
The Legionnaires' cases in Texas come after an outbreak linked to a hot tub display at the North Carolina State Fair, affecting over 100 people and resulting in four deaths thus far, according to The Charlotte Observer.