The Barry-Eaton District Health Department (BEDHD) has released an update on the Legionella bacteria found in the private water system at Spectrum Health Pennock hospital in late December of last year. Having shown successful remediation of Legionella from the water supply, the health department no longer requires Spectrum Health Pennock to submit bimonthly water testing.

 

The hospital has submitted regular water tests for review per the remediation plan, following the initial plan developed by the hospital and the health department when the bacteria was first discovered. Testing will continue on a quarterly basis for the foreseeable future.

 

Since Legionella bacteria was found, the hospital installed a monochloramine water treatment unit under a permit from the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy for its private water system to address the bacterial contamination.

 

The hospital also instituted a Water Safety and Management Plan that specifically addresses Legionella bacteria. The treatment unit has demonstrated it has been effective in significantly reducing or eliminating Legionella bacteria that may be present in the water supply. 

Updated water management protocols have also been put in place to safeguard the water supply. //

 

Spectrum Health Pennock continues to work cooperatively with EGLE and BEDHD to ensure continued use of water monitoring and treatment protocol. They plan to continue testing water throughout the facility for Legionella bacteria four times per year for the foreseeable future as part of their Water Safety and Management Plan.

 

The health department will continue to monitor the test results. Legionnaire’s Disease is caused by bacteria called Legionella, a kind of pneumonia, or lung infection. People can become infected with Legionella when they breathe in water droplets containing the bacteria.

 

Symptoms of Legionnaire’s Disease are cough, shortness of breath, muscle aches, headache, and fever. The disease can be serious but is treatable with antibiotics. Most people affected will need to go to the hospital,  but will make a full recovery. However, about 1 in 10 people with Legionnaire’s die from the infection. It cannot be spread from person to person.  

 

More information about the disease can be found on the CDC’s website at https://www.cdc.gov/legionella/fastfacts.html.