2 Legionnaire’s cases found at Timonium complex

Two residents of St. Elizabeth Hall, an independent-living apartment complex on the campus of Stella Maris, a nonprofit long-term care facility in Timonium, were diagnosed with Legionnaire’s disease, officials confirmed Tuesday. Stella Maris notified state and Baltimore County health officials and building residents and instituted water restrictions at St. Elizabeth, which has a separate water system from the campus. Officials plan to continue treating the water and cooling and heating systems, and will continue to test, treat and monitor for the bacteria that cause the disease, officials said. The disease is caused by Legionella pneumophila, which is found naturally in freshwater environments and can become a threat when it grows and spreads in building water systems. Most healthy people do not get sick when they are exposed to the bacteria, typically when they breathe in small droplets of water in the air that are contaminated. But older people, smokers and those with lung disorders, weak immune systems or other underlying medical conditions are