Estimated read time: Less than a minute
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
GROVE CITY, Ohio (AP) — An outbreak of Legionnaires' disease at a newly opened hospital outside Columbus has been traced to its hot water system.
The health department said at least 16 patients admitted to the 210-bed Mount Carmel Grove City hospital after its opening April 28 have been diagnosed with Legionnaires'. The disease is a severe form of pneumonia that's caused by inhaling tiny water droplets containing the legionella bacteria. One of the patients, a 75-year-old woman, died.
Hospital president Sean McKibben said in a statement Thursday that the disease outbreak happened because of inadequate disinfection of the hot water system prior to the hospital's opening.
He said a permanent supplemental disinfection system with constant monitoring and controls has been installed.
___
Information from: The Columbus Dispatch, http://www.dispatch.com
Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
