Batavia Legionnaires outbreak: Investigation turns to construction site

The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) announced that it has identified a construction site as a possible cause of a Legionnaires’ disease outbreak in Batavia. The construction site is near the Covenant Living at Holmstad retirement home, where 12 residents have been confirmed with Legionnaires’ disease.

Two additional illnesses in people who live nearby Covenant Living (700 West Fabyan Parkway) were confirmed on Monday. The nearby residents have no connection to the retirement home.

According to the IDPH, construction workers have been using pressure washers, which could aerosolize infected water and then spread Legionella bacteria, which causes Legionnaires’ disease (also known as legionellosis or Legionella pneumonia).

A seven-month construction project began in June on the Fabyan Parkway bridge over the Fox River. If construction equipment is the source of the Legionella, even anyone who has driven by or through the construction area could become infected.

A Google map image of the Fabyan Parkway bridge over the Fox River, which is within walking distance of Covenant Living at Holmstad retirement community (lower left) in Batavia, Illinois. A construction site is being investigated as a possible cause for the Batavia Legionnaires outbreak, in which 14 people have been sickened, including 12 Covenant Living residents.

Batavia Legionnaires outbreak:
Officials issue warning to area

Health officials have warned residents, employees, and individuals who have visited Covenant Living  – as well as anyone living within a mile of the construction site – to be on the lookout for respiratory symptoms. If you are feeling flu- or pneumonia-like symptoms, which usually develop two to 10 days after exposure to Legionella, you should see your health-care provider immediately.

Beginning symptoms usually begin with:

• severe headaches
• muscle aches
• fever, which can be 104 degrees Fahrenheit or higher, and chills.

After a couple of days, symptoms can worsen to include:

• coughing, which can produce mucus or blood
• shortness of breath (dyspnea)
• chest pains (pleurisy or pleuritis)
• gastrointestinal symptoms (diarrhea, vomiting, nausea)
• confusion and other mental changes.

Anyone can develop Legionnaires’ disease, but those most susceptible to infection include:

• senior citizens
• smokers, either current or former
• people with chronic lung disease, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder (COPD; most commonly, emphysema or bronchitis)
• people with compromised immune systems
• alcoholics.

Legionnaires’ disease is not contagious – that is, it cannot be passed from person to person – and it is treatable with antibiotics when diagnosed early. If that does not happen, however, the disease can lead to severe complications.

Batavia Legionnaires outbreak:
Complications can be severe

After Legionnaires’ disease has been diagnosed, hospitalization is almost always necessary. In the most severe cases, complications can occur, including:

• endocarditis, which is an infection of the heart’s inner lining that can affect its ability to maintain adequate blood flow through the body.
• kidney failure, which can occur when Legionella toxins damage the kidneys’ ability to eliminate waste from the blood.
• pericarditis, which is a swelling of the pericardium, the primary membrane around the heart; this also can affect the ability of the heart to circulate blood.
• respiratory failure, which is caused by changes to the lung tissue, or oxygen loss in the arteries that supply the lungs.
• septic shock, which can occur when Legionella toxins enter the bloodstream and cause a drop in blood pressure, leading to the loss of adequate blood supply to the organs.

According to statistics compiled by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), about 10 percent of those infected with Legionnaires’ disease will die because of complications from the illness.

Batavia Legionnaires outbreak:
Tests show city water not source

Batavia officials said the Legionella causing the 14 illnesses did not come from the city’s water supply.

City administrator Laura Newman told City Council members on Monday that chlorine tests of the water system showed levels higher than those required by the IDPH, meaning that Legionella could not survive.

“Our water system was never the culprit,” Mayor Jeff Schielke told the Kane County Chronicle.

More information about Legionnaires’ disease and updates on the outbreak can be found at KaneHealth.com/Pages/Menu-Disease.aspx.