Oct 23, 2009 6:03 pm US/Eastern
Sixth Legionella Case Diagnosed At Senior Complex
BALTIMORE (WJZ/AP) ―
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Baltimore health officials say a sixth resident at Stadium Place has been diagnosed with Legionnaires' disease.
CBS
A sixth resident falls ill at an apartment building for senior citizens. One resident is dead and doctors have just diagnosed another case.
Gigi Barnett reports the management company is now taking steps to stop the spread.
After a week of tests brought on by an outbreak of Legionnaire's disease at the senior living apartment complex, the city's health department and the center for Disease Control are still puzzled.
The cause isn't clear and the disease killed one resident, and now doctors confirmed another resident has the disease the sixth one.
"We are all about providing affordable housing with affordable services for older adults to age with dignity in an appropriate community setting, and this is just bad luck," said
Mitchell Posner, GEDCO Exec. Director
The complex is called Stadium Place, and it has more 300 residents. The outbreak started earlier this month.
Legionnaire's disease is a bacteria that spreads through water. It is inhaled in water droplets.
For the elderly with pre-existing medical conditions, Legionnaire's can be deadly.
"It's unclear what the source is right now, and we're taking our lead from the health department," said
Chickey Grayson, Enterprise Homes President.
Grayson and Mitchell Posner run the apartment complex. While the health department can't say where the bacteria is coming from, it is telling Grayson and Posner the steps needed to clean it up.
"We're taking their directions. They're the experts, they know what it's all about, they know how to deal with it," said Grayson.
Health workers say neighbors should bathe instead of shower and use the dishwasher instead of washing dishes in the sink.
Neighbors are concerned.
"We're working hand-in-hand, and we're telling them what the public officials are telling us to tell them," said Posner.
The management company is also launching a website, so residents and their family members can keep updated on the testing.
(© 2010 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
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