RSOE Emergency and Disaster Information Service

Situation Update No. 1

Posted:2010-03-14, 03:51:41 [UTC]

Ref.no.: EH-20100314-25316-USA

Situation Update No. 1
On 2010-03-15 at 19:28:50 [UTC]

Event: Epidemic Hazard
Location: USA State of Wisconsin Cudahy

Number of Infected: 8 person(s)

Health officials said there could be a possible outbreak of the respiratory illness Legionnaires’ disease at a Cudahy hospital. So far, at least eight people have come down with the illness. Six of the eight cases had some contact with Aurora Saint Luke’s South Shore Hospital, 5900 S. Lake Drive. The disease causes symptoms similar to pneumonia, and is treatable with antibiotics. The illness first received wide attention in 1976, when an outbreak at an American Legion convention in Philadelphia killed 34 people -- hence the name. Milwaukee County usually sees just one or two cases of Legionnaires’ a month. Health experts said once news spreads about such a cluster, it’s common that others will go to doctors to get diagnosed. They also said the outbreak appears to be isolated to just one hospital. Aurora said its doctors routinely report cases of Legionnaires’ disease to state health officials. Those officials then start their investigation. “When they see that cluster, they begin their investigation of ‘where are these people from, where do they shop, where do they go to church?’ -- all those kinds of questions to try and trace back to see if there's a source for the infection,” said Doctor Bruce Van Cleave of Aurora Health Care. “Six of them, in these in-depth interviews, said they were here at St. Luke's South Shore Hospital. We want to make sure that other people who may have been here get notified.” Aurora is notifying the more than 1,000 patients who were at St. Luke’s South Shore between Feb. 24 and March 10. Those people are being told to call their doctors if they’re experiencing cold or flu-like symptoms. Aurora said it’s safe to go back to St. Luke’s South Shore. State health officials have toured and tested the facility and declared it safe. “It usually comes from something in the environment that's creating mists that carry the germ. So in our look at the facility, we've identified different places where mists might be generated and we shut them down,” said Dr. Seth Foldy, a state health officer. “And that's why we feel comfortable saying people can feel secure in the building moving forward.” Legionnaires’ disease is not contagious. To contract it, one would have to have direct contact with the contaminated water vapor. Foldy said everything from plant misters to hot tubs to respiratory equipment could cause tainted mists. Officials are continuing to investigate.