Minneapolis VA Medical Center has alerted the public that the Legionella pneumonia bacteria responsible for Legionnaires’ disease has been detected in its water systems.
In a statement to Minneapolis news source KARE 11, the facility’s director, Patrick Kelly, explained that routine testing for the bacteria was initiated on November 19th. Subsequently, Legionella was discovered in 5 out of 40 water samples taken from water taps.
No cases of potentially fatal Legionnaires’ disease have been associated with this recent contamination.
Legionnaires’ Disease in VA Centers and Hospitals
Legionnaires’ disease has proven to be fatal in up to 50% of cases acquired in hospital settings. In comparison, fatality rates outside of hospitals generally range from 5% to 30%.
VA Center patients are particularly susceptible because they typically exhibit the risk factors for LD contagion: either they are elderly (50 or older), they are smokers, or they have underlying diabetes, chronic lung diseases, cancer, or other illnesses that have repressed their immune systems.
Our law firm is currently representing victims of a particularly virulent Legionnaires’ disease outbreak that sickened more than 50 patients, killing 12, in August at a VA residential facility in Quincy, IL. In this instance, Legionella from antiquated, inadequately maintained water systems triggered the disease cluster. The state now faces a bill of $2.3 million to replace these systems. The costs to the victims themselves – of life and health, pain and suffering, medical treatment, and aftercare – aren’t as readily quantifiable.
VHA Directive 1061
Following the Quincy outbreak, the Veterans Health Administration reissued rigorous policies for Legionnaires’ disease prevention and control. Directive 1061, first devised in 2008, was updated and disseminated to every VA facility in the United States.
Among its provisions, it:
- stipulated processes and a time frame for LD prevention programs to be implemented at VA facilities;
- required that all Medical Facility Directors draft and distribute a LD prevention policy / prevention plans no later than February 2, 2015; and
- recommended the use of ongoing “engineering controls” to detect Legionella contamination in water systems.
The Minneapolis VA Center’s testing demonstrates compliance with Directive 1061. As other VA centers follow suit, it is to be hoped that we will see fewer fatal Legionnaires’ disease outbreaks such as those that have occurred at Quincy, VA Pittsburgh, and the VA hospital in Brockton MA.
Until compliance is absolute, however, our law firm will be continuing to investigate instances of contamination and disease outbreak at VA centers. To learn more about these investigations and our success in achieving multimillion-dollar settlements for Legionnaires’ disease victims, please contract Fred Pritzker at 1-888-377-8900 or use our free online consultation form.