Image by Mohamed Hassan from Pixabay
A potentially hospital-acquired Legionnaires’ disease case has been confirmed at Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital in Needham, Massachusetts.
Massachusetts Department of Health is investigating this serious illness.
Why is hospital-acquired Legionnaires’ disease so scary? Where could the illness have come from? What should you do if you were exposed?
Read along for this, and more, about the Legionnaires’ disease case at Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital.
A patient being treated at Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital in Needham, Massachusetts has been recently diagnosed with Legionnaires’ disease. A potentially deadly form of pneumonia caused by contaminated water.
According to reports, “The Massachusetts Department of Public Health has confirmed that a patient contracted Legionella bacteria while seeking treatment at the hospital, part of Cambridge, Mass-based Beth Israel Lahey Health.”
Not a lot of information is available at this time as to how the patient contracted the bacterial infection or their current condition.
Hospital officials are working with the Massachusetts Department of Health investigation. Tracking down the source of the infection is necessary to prevent additional infections at the facility.
“Legionella is a rare cause of infection in patients,” said Sharon Wright, MD, chief infection prevention officer for Beth Israel Lahey Health. “Most people who are exposed to Legionella do not develop infection from it. We are investigating this case and continue to take all necessary steps to protect our patients, visitors, and staff.”
Legionnaires’ disease, pronounced (LEE-juh-nares) is a type of lung infection (pneumonia) caused by Legionella bacteria. These bacteria can be found in natural, freshwater environments. Usually rivers, lakes, and streams. In this environment, bacteria generally do not grow to sufficient numbers to cause disease.
This is not so true for man-made water systems, which provide a great breeding ground for these bad bugs.
Fortunately, Legionnaires’ disease is not contagious. But it is airborne.
People become sick with Legionnaires’ disease after inhaling microscopic water droplets containing Legionella bacteria. These bacteria are often spread by man-made water systems.
Certain environments allow Legionella bacteria to grow and thrive into infectious numbers. The most dangerous ones provide an outlet for them to aerosolize into water droplets in the air.
Key Legionella bacteria spreaders include:
Hotels, resorts, and cruise ships often have some or all of these risk factors. Hospitals and long-term care facilities also contain some of these Legionella spreaders. A serious concern, since those staying at a hospital or long-term care facility often have several of the risk factors for serious Legionnaires’ disease illness.
So, who is more at risk for Legionnaires’ disease?
Fortunately, most people with a healthy immune system do not fall ill when exposed to Legionella bacteria. There are, however, certain groups of people that are at higher risk of becoming sick after exposure.
People at increased risk include:
Additional risk factors also increase the likelihood of illness after exposure. These include systemic malignancy, recent travel or overnight stay outside of the home, exposure to hot tubs, and recent care at a healthcare facility.
Many cases of Legionnaires’ disease go undiagnosed. This is because symptoms of Legionnaires’ disease are very similar to other types of pneumonia illnesses. It can even be indistinguishable with a chest x-ray. Specific tests are needed to properly diagnose the illness.
A recent study estimated that the actual number of Legionnaires’ disease cases could be as much as 1.8 to 2.7 times higher than what is actually reported.
This is unfortunate, because Legionnaires’ disease can be treated with certain antibiotics, which significantly improve the patient’s outcome.
An improved outcome is very important. Especially because statistics show that 1 in 10 people with Legionnaires’ disease die from complications of their illness. This increases to a mortality rate of 1 in 4 when Legionnaires’ is contracted in a hospital setting like Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital in Massachusetts. Making this infection much more serious.
There are two diagnostic tests for Legionella infection. Urine antigen tests and bacterial cultures. The urine antigen test is often used as a preliminary test. If it is positive, the laboratory will attempt to grow the sample on a specialieze bacterial culture medium.
The bacterial culture test confirms whether or not the pnumonial illness is caused by Legionella bacteria or some other cause.
If you have become sick following exposure to Legionnaires’ disease at Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital in Needham, Massachusetts, The Lange Law Firm, PLLC has a Legionnaires’ disease lawyer that can help!
The Lange Law Firm, PLLC has successfully represented Legionnaires’ disease cases just like yours, and they can help you too.
Our experienced Legionnaires’ disease lawyers can help you obtain all relevant medical reports and investigate the scene of the exposure. They are able to collect reports completed by the local health department or other investigative agency and interview others who also acquired the disease among other activities to be sure you get the financial compensation you deserve.
Call (833) 330-3663 or send an email for a free, no obligation consultation to go over the details of your situation and determine if you have a legal case.
By: Heather Van Tassell (Contributing Writer, non-lawyer)
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