State Issues Update on Actions Taken at Quincy Veterans Home; Governor Staying at Facility

Print

Published on January 5 2018 10:28 am
Last Updated on January 5 2018 10:28 am
Written by Greg Sapp

The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) has posted the most recent Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report addressing the Legionnaires’ disease cases at the Illinois Veterans Home in Quincy (IVHQ). CDC generated the report after a visit in December by environmental health and infectious disease specialists to IVHQ. IDPH requested on-site technical assistance from the CDC after confirming Legionnaires’ disease cases and this report addresses the complexities and persistence of Legionella and actions taken by the State.

The CDC describes the State’s response and efforts to help protect the health and safety of veterans and IVHQ staff and visitors, noting:

• Since 2015, IDPH and IVHQ staff have committed considerable time, effort, and resources to implementing a water management program that has reduced both the number of Legionnaires’ disease cases associated with IVHQ and the amount of detectable Legionella in the water systems.

• The IVHQ water management team continues to follow a comprehensive water management plan and implements appropriate contingency responses when cases are identified by modifying the program, as necessary and appropriate.

• IVHQ and public health staff continue efforts to identify cases rapidly through disease surveillance and will strengthen coordination among care providers.  

• Complete eradication of Legionella in any large, complex building water system may not be possible. Therefore, some risk for Legionnaires’ disease may remain in spite of a fully operational and optimized water management plan, especially for susceptible individuals exposed to building water that contains Legionella.

The incidence of Legionnaires’ disease has been rising in the US. In Illinois alone there were 300 reported cases in 2017 involving a wide range of private and public health facilities.

Meanwhile, Governor Bruce Rauner is staying at the Veterans Home, where 13 people have died and dozens have been sickened from Legionnaires' Disease. 12 people died during an outbreak in 2015 and one person this past fall.

Rauner spokesman Rachel Bold said the governor arrived Wednesday night. Bold said Rauner plans to stay "several days" with residents and staff to get a better understanding of "the clinical, water treatment, and residential operations of the home."

Legionnaires' is a serious form of pneumonia caused by bacteria that can multiply in water systems.