ALERT: Legionnaires Outbreak in Tennessee Hotel (July 21, 2017)

July 21, 2017

The Guest House at Graceland, a hotel at the popular tourist attraction in Memphis, has had an outbreak of Legionnaires Disease among its guests.

CNN reports:

The Guest House at Graceland, a hotel adjacent to Elvis Presley’s Memphis home, is the source of a Legionnaires disease outbreak, according to a statement Wednesday from the Shelby County Health Department. There have been nine confirmed cases of the illness.

The hotel’s hot tub and swimming pool both tested positive for the bacteria, said Alisa Haushalter, director of the health department. The aquatic facility was reopened Wednesday after it was determined that Legionella bacteria were no longer present.

Visitors contracted the illness while staying at the hotel between May 12 and June 26, according to the statement.

According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC):

Legionella [the bacteria that causes Legionnaires Disease] is a type of bacterium found naturally in freshwater environments, like lakes and streams. It can become a health concern when it grows and spreads in human-made water systems.

After Legionella grows and multiplies in a building water system, that contaminated water then has to spread in droplets small enough for people to breathe in. People can get Legionnaires’ disease when they breathe in small droplets of water in the air that contain the bacteria.

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