Legionnaires’ disease rises in IR, health ministry says

The state’s health department said Monday it was seeing more cases of Legionnaire’s disease, a respiratory illness most commonly spread by aerosols from contaminated water systems.

From June 2 to July 26, the state reported 30 cases of the illness, with 29 infections occurring between June 17 and July 21. By comparison, Rhode Island has averaged 10 cases per month in June and July for the past six years.

Of the 30 people recently diagnosed with the disease, 28 have been hospitalized. One of the 30 died “but we don’t know for sure if the person died because of the legionaries,” Health Ministry spokesman Joseph Wendelken said.

No common source of exposure has been identified, although an investigation is underway, the health ministry said.

“We know that Legionella bacteria thrive best in complex water systems that are not well maintained,” said department director Dr. Nicole Alexander-Scott.

“When this water aerosolizes into small droplets, like in a cooling tower, shower or decorative fountain,” she said, “people can accidentally breathe in the contaminated water.”

This is of particular concern now, said Alexander-Scott, because “the water systems in some buildings have been offline for an extended period due to the COVID-19 pandemic and have just returned to service.”

Legionella is of particular concern in buildings that house people over 65 and buildings that have multiple living units and centralized hot water systems, such as hotels and high-rise apartment buildings.