Jared DuBach, Voice Editor

QUINCY — Quincy Mayor Kyle Moore announced on Tuesday that a steering committee has been formed to promote the Illinois Veterans Home.
According to a statement from Moore, the committee is bi-partisan and will be aimed at educating legislators and the public on the investments made inside the veterans home and the ongoing efforts to “demonstrate how the veterans home is a premier facility that provides care for those who deserve it most: our veterans.”
Moore acknowledged in his statement that the veterans home at Quincy is the focus of a legislative hearing regarding the outbreak of Legionnaire’s disease in 2015 and recurrences since then. The most recent cases were reported in November 2017. A total of 13 residents of the facility have died — 12 in 2015 and one in November.
A formal announcement regarding the steering committee will take place at 9 a.m. Thursday at Quincy City Hall.
The State of Illinois spent $6 million to upgrade the facility’s water treatment system for the approximate 400 veterans living there — some with spouses. The 2015 report made by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention noted the Legionnaire’s outbreak “occurred in a setting with no formal water management plan, no legionella specific prevention plan, limited legionella (bacteria) testing and limited monitoring of water treatment parameters.”
The CDC also reported there has been a rise in the number of cases of Legionnaire’s disease over the past 15 years with 6,000 cases reported nationwide in 2015. About 300 cases are reported each year across Illinois.
The Illinois Department of Public Health stated on Nov. 29, 2017, that the Illinois Department of Veterans’ Affairs tests and treats the water for harmful bacteria, including Legionella. The veterans home’s water receives additional chlorine treatments. IDPH also stated the veterans home maintains hot water at 150 degrees to prevent Legionella growth. Hot water is then mixed with cold water to generate a 110-degree hot water temperature prior to coming into contact with residents.
“This allows for the maximum control of bacwhile protecting residents from scalding,” the IDPA statement reads.
According to the CDC, “Outbreaks are commonly associated with buildings or structures that have complex water systems, like hotels and resorts, long-term care facilities, hospitals, and cruise ships. The most likely sources of infection include water used for showering, hot tubs, decorative fountains and cooling towers (parts of centralized air-conditioning systems for large buildings).”
The rate of Legionnaire’s disease, according to the CDC, is more often encountered in the northeast and Midwest; less frequently in the south and west. While it’s likely related to a number of factors, researchers have yet to determine why some region are more affected than others.

CDC Fast Facts
•Legionella can cause Legionnaires’ disease or Pontiac fever, collectively known as legionellosis.
•The bacterium was named after an outbreak in 1976, when many people who went to a Philadelphia convention of the American Legion got sick with pneumonia (lung infection).
•About 6,000 cases of Legionnaires’ disease were reported in the United States in 2015. However, because Legionnaires’ disease is likely underdiagnosed, this number may underestimate the true incidence.
•About one out of every 10 people who get sick from Legionnaires’ disease will die.
•People can get Legionnaires’ disease or Pontiac fever when they breathe in small droplets of water in the air that contain Legionella.
•In general, people do not spread Legionnaires’ disease to other people. However, this may be possible in rare cases.
•Legionella is found naturally in fresh water environments, like lakes and streams. It can become a health concern when it grows and spreads in human-made water systems.
•Keeping Legionella out of water systems in buildings is key to preventing infection.

Reach Jared DuBach by email at jdubach@mcdonoughvoice.com.