Massachusetts Public Health officials are investigating after a person who was a patient at a Needham hospital contracted Legionnaires’ disease, a spokesperson said.
Officials have contacted Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital – Needham and are dictating infection control measures that must be implemented at the facility, a spokesperson for the state Department of Health said in an email.
Neither the patient’s condition nor their identity, age, or gender were disclosed. The Department of Health does not comment on individual cases.
A Beth Israel official said all necessary precautions are being taken. According to an email from chief inspection officer Sharon Wright, “BID Needham has been working with the local and state departments of public health in connection with a case involving a bacteria called Legionella pneumophila.
“Legionella is a rare cause of infection in patients. Most people who are exposed to legionella do not develop infection from it. We are investigating this case and continue to take all necessary steps to protect our patients, visitors and staff.’’
Legionnaires’ disease is a form of pneumonia and is treated with antibiotics, according to the Mayo Clinic.
It is a naturally-found, waterborne organism that is not transmitted person-to-person, and there is no cause for public health concern. Onset of symptoms normally comes two to 14 days after exposure and can include fever, cough, and shortness of breath, officials said.
The state routinely investigates reported cases, according to the Department of Health.
In January 2024, public health officials reported that a person from Massachusetts died and a person from Rhode Island was hospitalized after they were diagnosed with Legionnaires’ disease following fall visits to the Mountain View Grand Resort & Spa in Whitefield, N.H.
New Hampshire had two clusters of outbreaks in recent years.
In March 2023, health officials linked a pair of campgrounds in Meredith to a Legionnaires’ outbreak that infected five people between fall 2021 and that January. All five had stayed at the Meredith Woods and Clearwater Campground complexes before getting sick, officials said. They were hospitalized and all recovered.
And in June and July 2024, five people in Lincoln, N.H., came down with Legionnaires’ following exposure to contaminated water droplets from a cooling tower behind the RiverWalk Resort, the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services said.
When several cases are linked to a specific location, it could indicate an improperly maintained water system in need of remediation, according to the department. Other possible causes, according to the Mayo Clinic, could be spray from a shower, faucet, hot tub, or whirlpool or water from a ventilation system in a large building.
Additional information about Legionnaires’ disease is available from DPH and from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Tonya Alanez can be reached at tonya.alanez@globe.com. Follow her @talanez.
