Residents placed on water restriction

 

Local and state officials are investigating a new case of Legionnaires’ disease of a resident at St. John’s Lutheran Community on Fountain Lake.

St. John’s Administrator Scot Spates said he was notified late Tuesday that a resident of The Woodlands, the organization’s skilled nursing facility, had tested positive for the disease.

Legionnaires’ disease is a type of bacterial pneumonia that can be severe, making prompt diagnosis and antibiotic treatment important, according to the Minnesota Department of Health. Symptoms reportedly include fever, fatigue, headache, muscle aches, chills, shortness of breath, loss of appetite and coughing. The disease is reportedly spread by inhaling aerosols from water sources containing Legionella bacteria, and it is not spread from person to person.

St. John’s had five cases of Legionnaires’ reported at the facility from June through August. The facility underwent extensive monitoring and treatment and had not seen any new cases since August.

Spates said once they found out about the new case, St. John’s on Wednesday morning contacted Minnesota Valley Testing Laboratories, a Centers for Disease Control-certified lab for Legionnaires,’ and Innovative Concepts, the consultant company the  organization used last year. Shortly after, a Minnesota Department of Health epidemiologist called, who recommended St. John’s begin water restrictions immediately.

Spates said residents were told not to drink faucet water, use ice machines or take showers until further notice. Staff delivered a case of water to every apartment and resident room.

Representatives from Minnesota Valley Testing Laboratories, Innovative Concepts and Minnesota Department of Health were at the site Thursday morning taking 15 to 17 water samples that will be studied. He noted they used a method called parallel water sampling, in which all three entities took samples from the same water sources.

Samples were taken at the water main that serves the independent living apartments and the assisted living memory care building and at the water main that serves the nursing home. Samples were also taken at all of the water heaters, in two of the tub rooms and in a few resident rooms.

Chlorine levels were also tested at both of the water mains.

Spates said initial results from the testing will be in sometime this weekend, providing a snapshot about whether there’s a presence of legionella in the water. If the results come back positive, the lab will incubate those water samples for further testing. He anticipated the results of that by the end of April.

He said water restrictions will not be removed until the facility is given clearance by the Minnesota Department of Health.

Though residents will not be able to shower, they can take baths in the facility’s tub rooms or in their own rooms if they have a bathtub. They can also still flush toilets.

Spate said he is frustrated a new case has been reported, as the organization had the entire water system treated with a chemical last year.

“One of the big questions is, ‘Why is this back?,’” he said.

Though the water restrictions are in place, he said St. John’s is still safe for people to visit.