Sioux Falls officials join effort to prevent Legionnaire's Disease

State and city officials are working to prevent a Legionella outbreak in Sioux Falls this year after a spike in cases of the deadly disease in 2018.

An outbreak in Sioux Falls last year hospitalized 16 people and killed one person — a 267 percent increase in local cases.

Health professionals and state and local officials gathered at the Sioux Falls Health Department on April 10 for workshops focused on preventing an outbreak of the disease.

Outbreaks of Legionnaire's Disease are common around cities in the United States, with some as detrimental as last year's outbreak in New York city that hospitalized more than 130 and killed 16 people, said Chris Boyd, manager of the building water health program for NSF International, who led the workshops.

"The opportunity for a very explosive event is very real," Boyd said.

South Dakota typically doesn't see more than 10 cases a year. But last year it spiked up to 33 cases in Sioux Falls alone. The cause of the outbreak wasn't determined by the South Dakota Department of Health.

The workshops aimed to further educate professionals and officials on what causes Legionnaire's Disease, what the symptoms are and how to prevent it.

"We want individuals to know the symptoms of Legionnaire's Disease and they should seek care from their medical provider if they're experiencing fever or difficulty breathing," said Josh Clayton, state epidemiologist for the South Dakota Department of Health.

What you should know about Legionella

A Legionella outbreak starts when bacteria grows in engineered water systems and the water is warm enough for the Legionella to breed, become airborne and become dangerous to humans. Engineered water systems can include showers, cooling towers, water storage, spas, humidifiers, hot tubs and more.

The Department of Health wasn't able to identify a source for Sioux Falls' Legionnaire's Disease last year. But just because officials don't know what caused the problem doesn't mean officials, professionals and normal people can't take steps to educate themselves and prevent another outbreak.

Legionnaire's Disease has a "high rate of morbidity," with about 10% of people who contract the disease dying.

The disease typically affects adults older than 50. Investigations by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that in nine of 10 cases, almost all outbreaks were caused by preventable problems in water treatment.

In 2005, there was an outbreak of Legionella in Rapid City from a decorative fountain at a Mexican restaurant. A light bulb was heating the water enough that Legionella was able to spread and hospitalize up to 25 people.

Symptoms of Legionnaire's Disease are similar to pneumonia and can often be diagnosed. It includes a cough, shortness of breath, fever, muscle aches and headaches.

"Legionnaire's Disease can be treated with antibiotics," Clayton said. "So individuals experiencing symptoms of the disease should seek care from a medical provider right away. Early treatment will help avoid poor outcomes."

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