Pa. hospital IDs 5th case of Legionnaire’s disease
PITTSBURGH (AP) – A fifth case of Legionnaire’s disease has been linked to the water supply at one of Pittsburgh’s Veterans Affairs hospitals.
VA spokesman Dave Cowgill would not disclose Thursday whether the most recent patient has recovered or remains hospitalized, citing federal privacy laws.
Water restrictions have been imposed at the 146-bed University Drive campus facility since the outbreak was discovered Nov. 16.
Officials said last week four patients who developed pneumonia caused by the Legionella bacteria had been successfully treated and discharged.
Cowgill tells the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review the fifth patient likely contracted the illness before officials finished cleaning the water distribution system. The incubation period is 14 days.