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Ex-nursing home resident contracts Legionnaires' disease

Observer-Reporter - 6/21/2017

Preliminary testing at a South Strabane Township long-term care facility came back negative for Legionnaires' disease after a former resident tested positive for the rare respiratory infection.Administrator Max Bondi said final results of the water-system tests at Transitions Healthcare Washington, 90 Humbert Lane, should come back Friday.In the meantime, residents, staff and visitors are drinking bottled water and using bagged ice, and showers are restricted.A former resident who was "in and out of a number of facilities" tested positive, said Bondi. He would not say when the facility was made aware of the diagnosis."Unfortunately, I can't give out much information because of privacy laws," he said.Bondi said the recommendations provided by the state Health Department were followed. He would not say if other systems that can carry the disease, such as air-conditioning or plumbing, were tested.April Hutcheson, a Health Department spokeswoman, said single cases of Legionnaires' can't be confirmed by the agency because of Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act privacy laws."We don't do a public alert unless there is a larger public health threat. I don't have information that one exists at this time," she said.According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Legionnaires' is a respiratory disease caused by bacteria that is usually found in fresh water, such as lakes and streams. It becomes a health concern when it spreads in human-made water systems, such as showers and faucets, air-conditioning units, hot water tanks and large plumbing systems.Those exposed can contract the disease when they breathe in small water droplets that contain the bacteria.Symptoms include coughing, shortness of breath and headaches.Most who are exposed do not get sick, but people older than 50, smokers and those with other health conditions are at increased risk.About one of every 10 people who become ill with Legionnaires' will die from complications. About one of every four who contract it while in a health care facility will die.About 6,000 cases of Legionnaires' disease were reported in the United States in 2015.

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