BLOOMINGDALE, Ill. (WGN) — The Illinois Department of Public Health says they are investigating a cluster of Legionnaires’ disease cases tied to the same suburban nursing home.
State officials have issued a health alert for anyone who has visited or been within two miles of the Alden Valley Ridge rehabilitation facility, located near the intersection of Glen Ellyn Road and Army Trail Road in Bloomingdale, within the last month.
State health officials said Thursday that they were working alongside the DuPage County Health Department to investigate a cluster of two Legionnaires’ disease cases, with illness onsets within one month of each other. Testing concluded that the rehabilitation facility is the common thread between the two patients.
Judy Kauerauf, with the Illinois Department of Public Health, spoke with WGN-TV about the cases.
“Any of the plumbing fixtures where we found Legionella to be shut off until they can install filters that can safely allow you to use the water with that filter, we’ve asked them to shut the cooling tower off, until it can be properly cleaned,” Kauerauf said.
Health officials say Legionnaires’ disease is a type of severe pneumonia caused by the bacterium Legionella. It is treatable with antibiotics. Most people who get sick from the disease require hospital care, but do make a full recovery. The disease can be deadly, however, as health officials advise anyone currently experiencing pneumonia symptoms — such as fever, cough, shortness of breath and muscle aches — to see a doctor for testing.
“If people are feeling well, they are healthy and young, there’s no concern,” Kauerauf added.
WGN-TV reached out to the facility for comment, but did not receive a response. State health officials said the facility has been cooperative.
“They are absolutely being cooperative. We had a call with them early on with the first case. When we had the first case, we called them right away to understand whether there were other people sick at the facility, whether the staff were sick, so that we knew all of the places to be concerned about to look,” Kauerauf said.
Health officials say the facility is now seeking alternative cooling solutions, as they’ve been asked to shut down the cooling tower until further testing can be conducted.
“Our environmental health team will track their response for several weeks,” Kauerauf added.
Health officials say Legionnaires’ disease is not passed from person to person. The illnesses are most commonly associated with buildings or structures that have complex water systems, like hotels, hospitals, long-term care facilities, and cruise ships. So far this year, 287 cases have been reported to the state.
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