An outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease at a nursing home in Albany, New York, has infected at least seven people and killed three people who tested positive for the disease, officials announced Friday.
The deaths occurred amid what Albany County Interim Health Director Maribeth Miller described in an email as a “cluster” of Legionnaires’ disease cases at the Peregrine Senior Living at Shaker facility that officials became aware of on Aug. 30.
Miller wrote that water samples taken from his home have tested positive for the disease-causing Legionnaires’ bacteria, and that the county health department has placed certain restrictions on water use at his home. One of 11 facilities Peregrine operates in New York and Maryland.Further inspections have been carried out, and water filters have been installed in some showers and sinks so residents can use the toilets, she added.
“It is not a threat to the community at large,” Miller wrote.
Christine Ganim, executive director of the facility, said staff are working with health officials to respond to the outbreak, installing filters throughout the water system and providing bottled water to residents.
“I want to reassure all residents, staff and visitors that our community is completely safe,” she said in a statement.
Legionella bacteria is found naturally in water, and people typically get Legionnaires’ disease by inhaling mist or water vapor that contains the bacteria, according to the state health department. The bacteria can grow in poorly maintained industrial water systems, cooling towers and heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems, according to the state health department. Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
According to the state health department, people over 50 and those with weakened immune systems are at particular risk of infection. Symptoms usually begin two to 10 days after exposure to the bacteria and include fever, headache, muscle aches, cough and shortness of breath.
Most cases can be successfully treated with antibiotics, but one in ten people who contract the disease die. Centers for Disease Control and PreventionAbout 1 in 4 people who become infected in a health care facility die.
Mary Rozak, spokeswoman for Albany County Mayor Daniel McCoy. 171-bed home Of the three people hospitalized in connection to the outbreak, 10 have tested positive, three of whom have died, she said, while about nine others have tested negative and the rest had symptoms but were not tested.
Two of the three people who died had been hospitalized for treatment of other illnesses, Rozak said, and it was unclear whether Legionnaires’ disease was a cause of death.
Legionella bacteria was first discovered during an outbreak associated with an American Legion convention in Philadelphia in 1976. According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, about 6,000 cases are recorded annually in the United States, with between 200 and 800 cases recorded in New York state. State Health DepartmentOfficials say the figure likely underestimates the true number of infections because many infections go undiagnosed or unreported.
Reported cases of Legionnaires’ disease have been increasing since the early 2000s, peaking in 2018. According to CDC data:Cases fell at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic but have started to rise again in 2021, according to the data.
New York City has seen multiple outbreaks over the past decade, including an outbreak in a Manhattan nursing home in 2022 that killed five people and another in 2015 that killed 16 people. It was connected to a cooling tower in the Bronx..
