CHICAGO – The Illinois Department of Public Health, working with the Stickney Public Health District, is investigating a cluster of Legionnaires’ disease cases in Cook County with onset dates between June and August. IDPH has advised hospitals and providers in the area to consider Legionnaires’ disease in diagnosing patients with clinically compatible illnesses. Illinois local health departments investigating cases of Legionnaires’ disease were asked to inquire about any time spent in Burbank during the 14 days prior to onset of symptoms. Three cases were linked to St. Albert the Great Church in Burbank. IDPH’s Environmental Health staff inspected the church and collected samples. Laboratory tests detected the presence of legionella in the church’s cooling tower. The church is fully cooperating in remediating the cooling tower and notifying parishioners of the situation. The cooling tower will be shut down until legionella is no longer detected.
“As the epidemiological and environmental investigation of this Legionnaires’ disease cluster continues, it is important to release this information to ensure that anyone with risk factors who feels symptoms is aware and seeks evaluation and treatment,” said IDPH Director Dr. Sameer Vohra.
Legionnaires’ disease is a serious lung infection (pneumonia) that people can get by breathing in small droplets of water containing Legionella bacteria.
