Possible sources of Legionnaires investigated

Published 10:04 am Friday, September 16, 2016

HOPKINS — Minnesota health officials are investigating several possible sources of an outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease in the Minneapolis suburb of Hopkins.

State Department of Health spokesman Doug Schultz said there are now six confirmed cases of Legionnaires in Hopkins, one additional case that may be related to Hopkins and two other possible cases in Minnesota.

Officials said cooling units on large buildings can be a source of the disease. According to a press release investigators are looking at SuperValu, Thermal Tech, a fountain at Cargill and other small buildings in the area.

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Legionnaires’ can cause pneumonia-like symptoms, including cough, shortness of breath, muscle aches, headaches and fever. The disease is not spread person-to-person.

More than 60 cases have been reported in Minnesota so far this year.