4 years, 3 months ago by Scott Hardy
5th straight year a resident has been sickened by the disease
The Illinois Departments of Veterans’ Affairs and Public Health say that another case of Legionnaires' Disease has been reported at the Illinois Veterans' Home in Quincy.
Both IDPH and IDVA said Tuesday they're investigating a single case of Legionnaires’ in a resident at the Vets Home. The resident has received medical treatment and is recovering at the Home. The agencies say that no other cases have been identified and the Vets Home continues to follow its plans to monitor residents for respiratory illness. The last case of Legionnaires’ disease at IVHQ was in February 2018. The latest case means though that 2019 is the fifth straight year that a resident has come down with the disease. The Department of Public Health says that their infectious disease staff are working with the Vets Home to collect information and further investigate the resident’s illness. Residents, staff, and families or power-of-attorneys have been notified, as required by a new state law. The agencies also say that the Vets Home "continues to conduct active surveillance for Legionella by monitoring residents and reviewing water quality data on an ongoing basis."
The state has allocated $230 million to re-build the Vets Home, with construction set to start in 2020.
