VA clinic looks for source of legionella

The water fountains and ice makers have been shut off at the Chalmers P. Wylie VA Ambulatory Care Center in Whitehall until tests results show whether the water there was the source of the Legionnaires’ disease contracted by two veterans.

Both veterans visited the clinic’s primary-care area sometime since May 28, VA spokesman Carl Higginbotham said Wednesday.

One was diagnosed at Chalmers, and the other at Mount Carmel East Hospital. Both veterans are being treated with antibiotics, Higginbotham said.

In addition to the two patients with an official diagnosis, five others have presented some symptoms of Legionnaires’ disease, he said.

Clinic employees were notified Sunday night that the 26 drinking fountains were being shut off as a precaution. A company that tests the facility quarterly for legionella, the bacteria that causes Legionnaires’ disease, tested the water Monday, and the results are expected soon, Higginbotham said.

For now, bottled water is being provided to employees and visitors at Chalmers. About 2,000 veterans a day visit the facility for appointments and care.

This is the time of year when Legionnaires’ disease is most common, and, often, the cases are never connected and no “outbreak” is declared, health officials said.

Columbus Public Health has investigated 41 confirmed cases of Legionnaires’ disease this year, with 26 of those coming in June. No two have been connected, said spokeswoman Kelli Newman Myers.

Franklin County Public Health has investigated 23 cases this year, 17 of those in June. No two of those have been connected, either, spokeswoman Mitzi Kline said.

Legionella bacteria can be found naturally in water, but when it spreads into building water systems and to places such as showers stalls, faucets and drinking fountains, it can become a health concern. The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that people with weakened immune systems can be vulnerable to the bacteria and develop Legionnaires’ disease. Breathing in water droplets from the air that contain the bacteria can be the problem.

Legionnaires’ disease usually develops two to 10 days after exposure to the bacteria, according to information from the Mayo Clinic. It often starts with flu-like symptoms of a headache, muscle pain and a high fever. Later symptoms can include a cough — which might bring up mucus and sometimes blood — shortness of breath, chest pain, vomiting and confusion.

The disease was named after an outbreak at the American Legion convention in a Philadelphia hotel in 1976.