A hotel near DFW Airport is shut down after a case of Legionnaire’s Disease. It’s a bacteria-caused illness with symptoms similar to pneumonia.
Legionnaire’s Disease got its name after dozens of people were sickened while attending an American Legion convention in Philadelphia in 1976. Near DFW Airport, officials with SuperMedia Hotel and Conference Center on West Airfield Drive say the center is closed for testing after notification that a guest was treated for Legionnaire’s.
David Jefferson is with Tarrant County Public Health.
Centers For Disease Control & Prevention: Legionnaire's Info Page
“The person, who lives out of state, stayed at a local hotel. When the individual contacted the hotel and informed them of the illness, the hotel decided to take a very proactive stance and started testing at the hotel. And they closed pending the results of those tests,” said Jefferson.
Jefferson says it’s not clear if the hotel is the actual sources of the illness, with symptoms similar to pneumonia. He says it appears to be an individual case.
“Ah, so this isn’t an outbreak. It’s just a single case,” said Jefferson. “We periodically get single cases because it is a fairly common bacteria.”
The bacteria live in water delivery systems, such as air conditioning cooling towers.
Overseas, a current outbreak of Legionnaire’s at a Scotland hotel has left one person dead, and 40 seriously ill.
