McHenry County Legionnaires' outbreak: 9 ill in northern Illinois

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Nine residents of McHenry County in northeastern Illinois were sickened with Legionnaires’ disease in less than a month, the McHenry County Department of Health (MCDH) said.

McHenry County residents of the cities of Algonquin, Crystal Lake, Huntley, McHenry and Wonder Lake were diagnosed with Legionnaires’ disease between June 7 and July 1. The ages of those sickened ranged from 46 to 82 years old.

No link or common source has been identified, and the MCDH has begun an investigation.

“I can tell you eight people were hospitalized, (and) seven have been released,” Keri Zaleski, public information officer for the department, said in an email to the Woodstock Independent. “(Federal privacy) laws prevent any further information about this.”

None of those sickened were patients or residents of long-term-care facilities, but those facilities – along with other health-care providers and local municipalities – have been alerted “as a precautionary measure,” Zaleski said.

McHenry County: investigation aid

The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) is assisting the MCDH with its investigation. Local officials also have contacted the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) with updates.

There were four cases of Legionnaires’ disease in McHenry County in 2017, nine in 2016, and three in 2015. Its northern-most border abuts Wisconsin. The 2010 census put the county’s population at 308,760, which would make it the sixth-most populous county in the state.

McHenry County Legionnaires' outbreak: 9 ill in northern Illinois

Nine residents of McHenry County in northeastern Illinois were sickened with Legionnaires’ disease in less than a month, the department of health reports.

McHenry County: not alone

In neighboring Kane County, which lies directly south of McHenry County, officials are investigating two cases of Legionnaires’ disease that occurred in May and June.

“For all we know, the cases are not related to what is going on in McHenry County,” Tom Schlueter, spokesperson for the Kane County Health Department, told the Aurora Beacon-News. “We’ll be working with the Illinois Department of Public Health and McHenry County to determine if we have any similar cases.”

The two cases are the only cases reported in Kane County this year, down from 17 cases confirmed last year.

McHenry County: Illinois woes

The Illinois Veterans Home in Quincy (IVHQ) battled a Legionnaires’ disease outbreak for the fourth consecutive year in February after a fourth resident was confirmed with the disease.

There were six confirmed cases at IVHQ in 2017, including the death of one victim. The 2017 outbreak increased the number of people who have died at the IVHQ because of Legionnaires’ disease to 13 since 2015. There were more than 50 illnesses and 12 deaths during the 2015 outbreak.

More than 300 cases of Legionnaires’ disease are reported in Illinois annually, the IDPH reports. There have been 91 cases in 2018, after 332 were confirmed in 2017, and 318 the year before.

McHenry County: Legionnaires’ info

Legionnaires’ disease cases occur more frequently in hot, humid weather. The disease – which is also known as legionellosis and Legionella pneumonia – is contracted by inhaling Legionella bacteria in microscopic water droplets (mist or vapor).

Legionella bacteria grow best in warm water, and they are found primarily in human-made environments, such as:

air-conditioning-system cooling towers
large water systems (hospitals, nursing homes, hotels, etc.)
large plumbing systems
hot-water heaters and tanks
faucets and showers
swimming pools
hot tubs and whirlpools (hotel pool areas, cruise ships, etc.)
physical-therapy equipment
hand-held sprayers and mist machines
decorative fountains.

About 25,000 cases yearly
There are about 25,000 cases of Legionnaires’ disease yearly in the United States, according to the CDC, but only 5,000 cases are reported because of the disease’s non-specific signs and symptoms. Cases are more common during the summer and early fall but can happen any time of the year.

Legionnaires’ symptoms
Legionnaires’ disease is similar to other types of pneumonia, and symptoms can even resemble those of flu, which is why the disease often goes under-reported. Symptoms include:

coughing
difficulty breathing
high fever
muscle pains
severe headaches
gastrointestinal symptoms (nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, etc.).

High-risk categories
Anyone can become ill after breathing in Legionella, but those most susceptible to infection include:

people 50 or older
smokers, current and former
heavy drinkers of alcohol
people with chronic lung disease
people with weakened immune systems
organ-transplant recipients
people on specific drug protocols (for example, corticosteroids).

Warmer weather a problem
Legionnaires’ disease is “an emerging disease in the sense that the number of recorded cases of Legionnaires’ in the United States continues to increase,” said Laura Cooley, a doctor with the Respiratory Diseases Branch of the CDC.

Cooley said the increase of Legionnaires’ is due to a rise in the susceptibility of the population – more and more people are on immunosuppressive medications.

There also could be more Legionella in the environment, because warmer temperatures create the right conditions for bacterial growth. The last three years have been the hottest on record; NASA ranked 2016 as the warmest and 2017 as the second-warmest.