State investigating Rush hospital for tie to Legionnaires’ cases

The Illinois Department of Public Health is investigating two cases of Legionnaires’ disease in patients at Rush Oak Park Hospital.

The individuals were patients at the hospital for part of the time when they could have been exposed to the bacteria that causes the disease, according to the department. Department investigators visited the hospital this week to test its water. Earlier samples collected by the hospital were positive for Legionella bacteria, according to the department.

Legionnaires’ disease is a serious type of pneumonia that’s treated with antibiotics. Most people who get the disease must be treated in a hospital, and about one in 10 die from it, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Rush spokeswoman Deb Song said Friday that patients and visitors to the hospital are not at risk. She noted that the sources of the two patients’ disease have not yet been identified.

“The health and safety of our patients, visitors and staff is of the utmost importance,” Song said in a statement. “Rush Oak Park Hospital has a comprehensive water management program that follows the highest federal standards and CDC best practices.”

She said the hospital routinely tests its water and has already taken steps to minimize any potential exposure, such as by adding disinfectant to the water, flushing pipes and installing point-of-use filters.

Late last month, the department also investigated four cases of Legionnaire’s disease in people who were at Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn. At the time, the department said it was working with the hospital to strengthen its water management plan.

An attempt to reach Advocate Aurora Health for comment late Friday afternoon was not immediately successful.

People can catch the disease by breathing air containing Legionella bacteria, which can get into the air through cooling towers, showers, hot tubs and decorative fountains. The disease cannot be passed from person to person. Outbreaks tend to happen in buildings with complex water systems such as hotels, hospitals, long-term care facilities and cruise ships, according to the department.

Most healthy people who are exposed to the bacteria do not get the disease.