Kaiser Permanente Santa Clara linked to 18 Legionella infections
Updated
Updated · KTVU FOX 2 San Francisco · May 6
Kaiser Permanente Santa Clara linked to 18 Legionella infections
7 articles · Updated · KTVU FOX 2 San Francisco · May 6
Santa Clara County public health officials are investigating after the bacteria was detected during routine internal monitoring at the California hospital.
Kaiser said it has added water treatment and other preventive measures, but the facility remains open as experts try to identify the contamination source.
Legionella spreads through inhaled contaminated water mist, not person-to-person contact, and can cause pneumonia-like illness, with older adults, smokers and immunocompromised people at higher risk.
As hospital water systems age, is a deadly Legionella outbreak the new normal for patient care?
If hospitals have mandatory water safety plans, why do preventable Legionella outbreaks like Kaiser's still happen?