Legionnaires' Outbreak May Be Linked To Wedding: Health Officials

CHAMPAIGN, IL — Six Champaign County residents have been diagnosed with Legionnaires' disease since Sept. 15, and several nearby locations are being investigated as a potential source of the outbreak, including a church where patients may have attended a wedding, according to the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH). Besides possible wedding activities at the First Christian Church, other information on the diagnosed residents, including their medical condition, isn't available, IDPH reports.

IDPH said it's working with the Champaign-Urbana Public Health District to identify links in these cases and conduct necessary tests and interventions.

While Legionnaires' disease is not transmitted person-to-person, Legionella bacteria occur naturally in the environment as water containing the bacteria can be spread by air through cooling towers, showers, hot tubs, and fountains. It can therefore cause the illness if inhaled, IDPH said.

According to IDPH, Legionnaires’ disease usually begins with symptoms including:

• High fever (102 degrees F - 105 degrees F)
• Chills
• Muscle pain
• Headache
• Possible dry or wet cough
• Shortness of breath
• Chest pain
• Possible gastrointestinal symptoms like diarrhea.

IDPH says anyone who believes they have symptoms and may have been exposed to Legionella bacteria should see their doctor. The incubation period (the time between exposure and onset of illness) for Legionnaire's is up to 14 days.

Related: 2 New Legionnaires' Cases At Illinois Veterans Home In Quincy

IDPH said 300 cases of Legionnaires’ disease are reported across Illinois each year. This year that included two more cases among residents of the Illinois Veterans Home in Quincy back in February. Patch reported those two cases came nearly three years after a fatal outbreak of the disease in which 12 people at the veterans home were died in 2015 and dozens more were sickened, sparking a lawsuit and a $5 million rehabilitation of the home's water treatment plant.

More information: IDPH website.

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