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# Legionnaires’ Disease Discovered in Chicago Nursing Home
- URL: https://www.foodconsumer.org/legionnaires_disease_discovered_in_chicago_nursing_home_0633/
- Published: 2009-11-09T18:32:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-09-15T12:32:44.000Z
- Description: Two elderly residents of a Chicago nursing home died of Legionnaires' disease, and the home's rain forest, waterfall and spa were shut down. The bacterial pneumonia spreads by inhaling contaminated mist rather than person to person; the CDC now estimates 10,000 to 40,000 US cases a year.
- Author: Food Consumer
- Tags: Disease, Health News, #vivvo-import

By Rachel Stockton

Two elderly residents of a Chicago nursing home have died of Legionnaires’ disease; one passed away in September, the other died last week. 

Legionnaires’ disease first made its way into American consciousness back in 1976 during an American Legion conference in a Philadelphia hotel. The illness struck 221 people, 32 of whom died. Because of the outbreak, researchers began to investigate the bacteria responsible for the illness; they found the bacteria in the air conditioning system at the hotel.

A more recent outbreak occurred in a Ford plant in 2001; four workers contracted the disease and 1 of them died.

Legionnaires’ is a form of bacterial pneumonia; it is not contagious, but rather is caught by inhaling contaminated vapors or mist. The nursing home in Chicago housed a rain forest, waterfall and spa, all of which have been shut down. 

Initially, the CDC announced that approximately 1,000 people contract Legionnaires’ on a yearly basis. They’ve since revised that number to between 10,000 and 40,000 by taking into account that many cases go unreported. Specifically, they believe that 2%-15% of all cases of pneumonia are actually Legionnaires’. Those who are most vulnerable to the illness are the elderly, and those with compromised immune systems. 

The symptoms of Legionnaires’ are similar to those present in other types of pneumonia: chills, fever, and a cough that is initially unproductive. A definitive diagnosis must come from a lab.

According to WebMd, the bacteria can proliferate wherever stagnant water collects, such as in humidifiers, drain pans, ducts and whirlpools or baths.