Health officials in New Hampshire are warning the public about Legionnaires’ Disease after five confirmed cases at a single resort.
The five cases are believed to have been contracted between June and July at a resort in the downtown area of Lincoln, New Hampshire. The source of the bacteria, officials told local news outlets, can be linked to water droplets from a nearby cooling tower. The cooling tower is still in operation, leaving health officials to warn the public about a continued risk if they are in the area.
The Centers for Disease Control defines an outbreak of Legionnaires’ Disease as two or more cases identified within 12 months at the same location.
The Department of Health in Melbourne, Australia, alerted the public to an outbreak with over 100 confirmed cases and four suspected disease cases in the city’s metropolitan area.
Reports from the Centers for Disease Control concluded that infections are on the rise in Florida from analyzing numbers of infections from 2015 to 2020. In 2020, Florida accounted for nearly 60% of the entire country’s Legionnaires’ infections and 38% of nationwide hospitalizations.
The risk of contracting the disease when near contaminated water systems is not one most people think of when enjoying a day at a resort or a vacation stay, but the risks are no less prevalent.
What is Legionnaires’ Disease?
Legionnaires’ Disease is a severe type of pneumonia that occurs when someone has been exposed to the Legionella bacteria. It was first identified in 1976 at a conference in Philadelphia for the American Legion. This bacteria grows best in warm, slow-moving water.
Those most at risk of infection are current and former smokers, people 50 years old or older, and those with preexisting health conditions such as chronic lung diseases, cancer or weakened immune systems.
Bacterial Legionella is known to multiply and grow in water systems such as hot tubs. While there is no vaccine, property managers can mitigate guests’ exposure to the bacteria by implementing regular water testing and sanitization programs to prevent the bacteria from growing.
Past Cases
Leesfield & Partners attorneys have built the firm’s 48-year reputation in the Resort Torts practice area. Resort Torts refers to claims that stem from injuries incurred on a resort or vacation destination property or due to the negligence of resort officials. These kinds of claims can include everything from jet ski accidents – a recreational water activity that accounts for the most cases of injuries and death on the water seen by Leesfield & Partners – to parasailing accidents. Resort torts claims can also include a slip and fall aboard a cruise ship, hotel, or spa, and the infection of Legionnaires’ Disease from an improperly maintained hot tub or pool.
In 2023, the firm settled two back-to-back cases of the disease on two unrelated clients at the same resort. One client is a Florida native while the other was visiting the area from Maryland. Both went to the hospital within days of leaving the resort with symptoms that included body soreness, fever, fatigue and difficulty breathing before they tested positive for Legionnaires’ Disease.
In those cases, two six-figure settlements were secured for the clients.
Eric Shane, a Trial Lawyer with Leesfield & Partners, recently obtained a six-figure award for a woman who contracted Legionnaires’ Disease during a stay at a Florida hotel. The woman in that case routinely used the hot tub during her stay and began experiencing symptoms the day she checked out. Her symptoms included body swelling and fever. As a result of her infection, the woman went into septic shock and was also diagnosed with acute kidney failure.
Records show that the hotel failed to maintain minimum chlorine levels and violated other industry standards.
In April, Shane was quoted in a Daily Business Review article discussing an ongoing case of two men from the same South Florida residential complex where they contracted Legionnaires’ Disease. The men had been friends for years and regularly visited the residential complex, which they used as a winter getaway, from Canada. Both had used the property’s whirlpool spa and were soon admitted to the hospital with symptoms consistent with Legionella bacteria exposure and both were diagnosed with the disease.
One of the men died as a result of his exposure. The complex did not have a water management plan to prevent the growth of the bacteria, leaving these men and other residents vulnerable to contracting the disease.
Most people think about dangers such as drowning or electrocutions when they think about hazards associated with swimming and or hot tubs, not Legionella, Shane said in the article.
“If you polled 100 people, not one of them is going to tell you, ‘Yeah, Legionella. You have to be on the lookout for that,” he said. “We haven’t heard about this since Philadelphia. It’s not something that people think about when they’re going to enjoy themselves in a hot tub.”
If you or a loved one has been infected with Legionnaires’ Disease, don’t wait. Call a Leesfield & Partners attorney today at 800-836-6400 for a free consultation.