1 dead after legionnaires outbreak at Ore. senior home

OAN Newsroom
UPDATED 7:43 AM PT – Friday, January 8, 2021

Officials in Portland are investigating a deadly outbreak of legionnaires disease at a senior living facility. On Tuesday, the Multnomah County Health Department said one person has died and four others have been hospitalized from Rosemont Court.

Officials are urging the more than 100 other residents to temporarily relocate after a number of people at the facility reported symptoms. The request is out of an abundance of caution as legionnaires disease, which is a more severe form of pneumonia, is not particularly contagious.

“The good news is it’s not passed person to person,” explained Dr. Jennifer Vines of Multnomah County Health. “It’s typically from some kind of water source where there’s been some kind of breakdown in water maintenance.”

Some residents at Rosemont Court in N Portland are temporarily relocating after 4 people became ill with Legionnaires disease.

“Legionnaires disease is a bacterial infection caused by bacteria called Legionella which spreads typically from a water source,” Dr. Vines.@KOINNews pic.twitter.com/WnQsTXlWFf

— Jacquelyn Abad (@JacquelynAbadTV) January 6, 2021

Officials have said more than 20 residents have already left the home, while others are deciding to stay put. Meanwhile, the Health Department said it’s working with building managers to treat the water system, which has been identified as the likely source of the outbreak.

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