Healthcare facilities in the United States, Canada, and Europe have seen an increase in Legionella infections over the past few years, including two publicized-and fatal-outbreaks in 2005.
Despite these risks, infectious disease experts say that most hospitals are do-ing little to prevent more outbreaks.
In 2005, New York state health officials investigated a Legionella outbreak at Columbia Presbyterian Hospital in New York City that occurred from March to May. The hospital later received a citation for not following its own IC policies. Seven people became ill and two of them died from the disease in the Columbia cases, according to the New York State Health Department.
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