Retirement community tub source of Legionnaires’ disease

Two cases of Legionnaires’ disease have been traced to a hot tub at a Florida retirement community.

The Florida Health Department said two residents of the Summit Greens were treated and have since been released from the hospital.

Officials traced the source of exposure to the community hot tub in the clubhouse, which was closed and disinfected. They will continue to monitor residents over the next few weeks.

“We are (instructing) residents that pretty much from the last day they used the hot tub, they can develop symptoms anywhere from two to 14 days after exposure,” said Giselle Barreto, a government operations consultant with the Florida Department of Health in Lake County to local ABC affiliate WFTV.

A third man who showed symptoms of Legionnaires’ has died. Initial test results were negative, but Barreto has sent samples to the Centers for Disease and Control and Prevention for further testing.

People can get infected with the bacteria Legionella when they breath in steam or mist from a contaminated hot tub, according to the CDC.

Nicole Stempak

Nicole was Senior Editor at I Advance Senior Care and Long Term Living Magazine 2015-2017. She has a Journalism degree from Kent State University and is finalizing a master’s degree in Information Architecture and Management. She has extensive studies in the digital user experience and in branding online media. She has worked as an editor and writer for various B2B publications, including Business Finance.