ATLANTA — The Atlanta VA Medical Center cleared a floor of patients after a Georgia veteran who died there this week tested positive for Legionella, the bacteria that causes Legionnaires’ disease.
Channel 2 consumer investigator Justin Gray broke this story Friday, obtaining an email sent out all staff Thursday night alerting them to this veteran’s death and the steps they are taking to try to avoid an outbreak.
In the alert to staff, leadership at the Atlanta VA medical center said an immunocompromised inpatient veteran suffering from pneumonia was “unable to combat the infection. Testing revealed the veteran was positive for Legionella.”
Jim Lindenmayer, an American Legion service officer, said he wondered how much they know and how well their response will be to the positive test.
“We can’t afford to have this thing spread out of control,” he said.
Legionnaires’ disease is form of pneumonia that can spread in water systems, like HVAC and plumbing systems. It can be deadly.
Atlanta VA said it routinely tests those systems, and tests over the past two years on the seventh floor where the patient died have been negative.
But according to the letter, “hyperchlorination of the affected area was initiated. Patients from the impacted floor were relocated to other units.”
The incubation period for the disease could be several days, but Atlanta VA told employees that there were no active cases and drinking water is safe.
“A veteran died and now it’s like, all of a sudden, ‘No, we’ve got it under control.’ You know? I just don’t understand how many times you get to swing at the bat here before you get it to say, you know, this is not going to work. This is not working,” Lindenmayer said.
In a statement, Atlanta VA said:
“An Atlanta VA Health Care System inpatient recently tested positive for Legionella. Following extensive tests of the water system in the inpatient units, Atlanta VAHCS has determined that its water system is safe.”
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