Legionnaires' Bacteria Found In Water Of CT Nursing Home

ROCKY HILL, CT — The state Department of Public Health confirmed two cases of Legionnaires’ disease at Apple Rehab in Rocky Hill. One of the patients recently died and water samples tested positive for the bacteria at the facility. DPH was notified July 17 about the case.

DPH is helping guide Apple Rehab to eradicate the bacteria and identify the environmental source.The water system underwent chlorine treatment and more testing is underway, DPH said in a release. DPH will continue to monitor Apple Rehab’s water quality and disease prevention measures.

Legionnaires’ disease is a type of pneumonia that is caused by breathing in water droplets that contain the Legionella bacteria. The bacteria is found in freshwater lakes and streams and can also grow inside human-manufactured water systems.

Possible complications of the disease include lung failure and death. About one of every 10 people who contract the disease die from complications and one out of every four who contract the disease during a stay at a healthcare facility die, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The water droplets can be dispersed by showerheads, sinks and other sources. The disease isn’t transmitted from person to person and most healthy people who breathe in contaminated droplets won’t contract the disease. People who are 50-years-old or older, current or former smokes, people with chronic lung disease and people with weakened immune systems are more susceptible to infection.