Posted: Dec. 31, 2019 8:40 pm

QUINCY -- Officials with two state agencies are investigating a single case of Legionnaires' disease at the Illinois Veterans Home.

Medical staff first diagnosed a resident's illness and began notifying the state, the staff and other residents at the home and veterans' families on Friday.

The resident, who is not being identified by officials, continues to receive medical treatment and recover at the home.

Legionnaire's disease is an infection of the lungs that is a form of pneumonia, caused the Legionella bacterium. It takes its name from an outbreak at the Pennsylvania American Legion convention in Philadelphia in 1976.

Investigators with the Illinois Department of Public Health and the Illinois Department of Veterans' Affairs continue to collect information regarding the circumstances that led to the resident's illness.

Evan Fazio, a spokesman for the Illinois Department of Veterans Affairs, said the home continues to "operate a robust water management program and is implementing best practices to control the growth and spread of the waterborne pathogens."

Officials say the Legionella bacterium cannot be passed from person to person. The illness is most commonly associated with buildings and structures with complex water systems such as hotels, hospitals, long-term care facilities and cruise ships.

The bacteria can be a health concern and spread in water systems such as hot tubs, cooling towers, hot water tanks, large plumbing systems and decorative fountains.

Most healthy people do not get Legionnaire's disease after being exposed to Legionella bacteria.

Fazio said he would caution against describing the diagnosis of Legionnaire's disease at the local veterans home as an outbreak. He said it will take more cases being diagnosed before that term would be applicable.

This is the first case of Legionnaire's disease at the home since February 2018. However, there were outbreaks in 2015, 2016 and 2017.

A March 2019 report from Illinois Auditor General Frank J. Mautino found that on top of the 57 Legionnaire's cases at the Veterans Home in 2015, there were 220 people sickened -- 138 residents and 82 staff. The other 163 residents and staff had respiratory symptoms including pneumonia or walking pneumonia, cough, fever, body aches, headaches, fatigue, nausea and vomiting.

As of March 2019, 13 deaths at the home have been attributed to Legionnaire's disease.

Investigators later blamed a central hot water tank as the likely culprit for the 2015 outbreak.

The state has spent $9.625 million as of June 30, 2018, for Legionella remediation at the home since the initial August 2015 outbreak.