Oct 20, 2008 11:51 am US/Central
6 Cases Of Legionnaire's Disease In South Suburbs
5 People In Tinley Park, 1 In Orland Park Are Sick
CHICAGO (CBS) ―
The Cook County Health Department is investigating half a dozen cases of Legionnaire's disease in the south suburbs.
Five people in Tinley Park and one in Orland Park have been diagnosed with the illness, health department spokesman Sean McDermott said.
The infectious disease, which has symptoms similar to pneumonia, got its name in 1976 when it struck participants at an American Legion convention in Philadelphia.
Legionnaire's disease hospitalizes between 8,000 and 18,000 people each year in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control. The illness is typically found in the late summer and early fall, the CDC said.
McDermott told CBS 2 the county Health Department is trying to find the source of the Legionella, which he says is a naturally occurring organism in our environment. He says the department are testing produce misters at a local grocery store down in that region but he says there are other water sources that could have sickened the six people.
The results produce misters testing will not be known for several weeks, McDermott said.
The STNG Wire contributed to this report.
(© MMX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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