The three men who died were among 27 who tested positive for the respiratory illness at the Illinois Veterans’ Home in Quincy from Thursday to noon Monday, Illinois Department of Veterans Affairs spokesman Ryan Yantis said. The men who died were 82 to 91 years old, Yantis said. Autopsies have not yet been completed to determine the exact cause of death, he said.
The identities of the men who died have not been released, and officials have not said whether the source of the outbreak has been traced. Two of the men died over the weekend, Yantis said.
“Some of those afflicted have been treated for their illnesses and are doing OK, while others are struggling, in part because the infection is compounding underlying or existing illnesses,” Yantis said.
Yantis added that it is common for residents to come down with other respiratory illnesses this time of year, complicating efforts to diagnose those actually suffering from Legionnaires’.
“Therefore, all residents presenting any respiratory, pneumonia-type symptoms will be treated as if they have Legionnaires’ disease until lab results confirm the individual is negative for the bacteria,” Yantis said.
Legionnaires’ is caused by bacteria that can grow in warm water contained in hot tubs, cooling towers, hot water tanks, fountains and large plumbing systems, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
A person could become infected with the disease by inhaling water vapor carrying the bacteria, according to the CDC. It is not spread from person to person.
Yantis said several measures are in place to prevent further spread of the disease, including cleaning hot water tanks, using bottled water, and shutting off fountains and other sources of water vapor. Officials also have cleaned the cooling tower.
Several outbreaks of Legionnaires’ have popped up throughout the country in recent weeks, including one at San Quentin State Prison in California and another in the South Bronx in New York City. An inmate at the Stateville Correctional Center in Crest Hill came down with the disease earlier this month.
