Archive – This representative photo shows the reflection of health professionals in the corridor of a hospital. (Ted S. Warren / AP Photo)
OAN Newsroom
UPDATED at 7:43 am Pacific Time – Friday, January 8, 2021
Portland authorities are investigating a deadly outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease at an elderly establishment. On Tuesday, the Multnomah County Health Department said one person died and four others were hospitalized by the Rosemont Court.
Authorities are asking more than 100 other residents to move out temporarily after several people reported the symptoms. The request comes as a matter of caution, as Legionnaire’s disease, a more serious form of pneumonia, is not particularly contagious.
“The good news is that it is not passed from person to person,” explained Dr. Jennifer Vines of Multnomah County Health. “It is typically from some type of water source where there has been some kind of failure to maintain water.”
Some residents of Rosemont Court in N Portland are temporarily moving out after 4 people fell ill with the Legionnaire’s disease.
“Legionnaire’s disease is a bacterial infection caused by a bacterium called Legionella, which normally spreads from a water source,” Dr. Vines.@KOINNews pic.twitter.com/WnQsTXlWFf
– Jacquelyn Abad (@JacquelynAbadTV) January 6, 2021
Authorities said more than 20 residents have already left the house, while others are deciding to stay where they are. In the meantime, the Department of Health said it is working with building managers to address the water system, which has been identified as the likely source of the outbreak.