Legionella can cause Legionnaires’ disease, which has similar symptoms to pneumonia.
The patients were moved out of the affected building and reassigned to other hospital units or placed in outpatient programs for the time being. They will remain in their relocated units or programs until remediation efforts are complete and experts can assure patient safety, according to the report.
In a statement, VA spokeswoman Jean Schaefer announced that no patients have displayed symptoms of Legionnaires’ disease thus far, and no areas of the medical center, other than the one identified building, are affected.
More articles on Legionnaires’ disease:
Legionella detected at 3 additional sites in the Bronx
Legionnaires’ bacteria discovered in GlaxoSmithKline plant
5 things to know about Legionnaires’ disease and the NYC outbreak
