East Texas State Fair Legionnaires outbreak: Olsen retained by widow

Elliot Olsen has been retained by Susan Gutierrez, whose husband died after he contracted Legionnaires’ disease in late September.

Texas health officials linked Ruben Gutierrez’s illness – along with those of seven other victims – to a hot tub display at the East Texas State Fair, which was held in Tyler from Sept. 20-29. The Northeast Texas Health District (NET Health) announced in November that the only commonality between the eight victims was that all eight had visited the fair.

Ruben Gutierrez, 69, of Flint, Texas, passed away on Nov. 8 after being hospitalized for most of October. He was at the fair every day but the last staffing a voter registration booth.

“There’s no easy way to put it – Mr. Gutierrez’s days were horrific,” said Olsen, who currently represents victims of LD outbreaks in New York City and Wisconsin. “No one should have to go through what he and his family endured last October.”

East Texas State Fair:
Complications too much

Ruben Gutierrez experienced sepsis and kidney failure before he finally passed away, Susan Gutierrez said. The complications forced him to spend most of October in Christus Trinity Mother France Hospital in Tyler.

Ruben Gutierrez was released from the hospital in mid-October, but then he suffered setbacks and was readmitted before passing away.

Susan Gutierrez said she was told the source of her husband’s illness was unknown.

“(Officials) said it was something in the fair, but he was there every day,” she said. “It could have been the A/C; it could have been the hot tubs or (something else).”

East Texas State Fair Legionnaires outbreak: Susan Gutierrez, whose husband passed away in November, has retained Minneapolis attorney Elliot Olsen. Ruben Gutierrez, 69, died after spending most of October in the hospital battling complications of his Legionnaires’ disease illness.

East Texas State Fair:
Complications are plentiful

Sepsis and kidney failure are just two of the serious complications that can occur while a victim battles Legionnaires’ disease. Some others:

• endocarditis, which is an infection of the inner lining of the heart that can affect the ability of the heart to maintain adequate blood flow through the body.
• pericarditis swelling of the pericardium, the primary membrane around the heart. This can also affect the ability of the heart to circulate blood throughout the body.
• respiratory failure, which is caused by changes to the lung tissue, or oxygen loss in arteries supplying the lungs.

East Texas State Fair:
Symptoms are plentiful, too

Legionnaires’ disease usually develops two to 10 days after exposure to Legionella bacteria, and it frequently begins with these symptoms:

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

By the second or third day, symptoms often worsen to include:

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

Although Legionnaires’ disease primarily targets the lungs, it occasionally can cause infections elsewhere in the body, including the heart.

A mild form of Legionnaires’ disease — known as Pontiac fever — may produce signs and symptoms including a fever, chills, headache and muscle aches. Pontiac fever doesn’t infect the lungs, and symptoms usually clear before the week is out.

East Texas State Fair:
High-risk groups

Most people exposed to Legionella do not get sick, but people 50 years old and older – especially those who smoke or have chronic lung conditions – are at a much greater risk. Other people more susceptible to infection include:

• organ-transplant recipients
• anyone on a specific drug protocol, such as corticosteroids
• alcoholics
• anyone with an immune system weakened by:
  • frequent and recurrent pneumonia, bronchitis, sinus infections, ear infections, meningitis or skin infections
  • organ inflammation and infection
  • blood disorders, such as low platelet counts or anemia
  • digestive problems, such as cramping, appetite loss, diarrhea, and nausea
  • delayed growth and development.