The Iowa Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is investigating a cluster of Legionnaires’ disease cases in central Iowa. According to state health officials, 21 people have been diagnosed since the beginning of the investigation, and one older adult with underlying health conditions has died. The cases have all been reported in individuals living in north-central Marshalltown, but HHS staff have not pinpointed the source as of Friday. Legionnaires’ disease is a severe form of pneumonia caused by inhaling water droplets containing the Legionella bacteria, which are sometimes found in water systems such as cooling towers, hot tubs, and decorative fountains. The illness is not transmitted from person to person and can easily be treated with antibiotics if diagnosed early. Symptoms include fever, cough, shortness of breath, muscle aches, headaches, chest pain, or gastrointestinal distress. The risk to the general public remains low, but HHS has urged Marshalltown residents with pneumonia-like illness to consult their doctor. The Iowa outbreak comes in the wake of a severe outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease in New York City earlier this summer.
