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3 deaths reported after Legionnaires' disease outbreak at senior living facility

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3 deaths reported after Legionnaires' disease outbreak at senior living facility

Three senior citizens have died after contracting Legionnaires’ disease — a form of pneumonia that can spread via water — at an assisted living facility in Albany, New York, according to reports.

The Albany County Department of Health was first notified of a “cluster of cases” at Peregrine Senior Living on Aug. 30, according to a statement sent to Fox News Digital.

“We began an immediate investigation and the assisted living facility was placed on water restrictions,” a spokesperson said in the statement. 

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A total of 20 people have been hospitalized since Aug. 30. 

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Half of those tested positive for Legionnaires’, according to the health department.

Legionnaires’ disease is a type of pneumonia caused by Legionella bacteria. The bacteria is usually found in lakes, streams and other freshwater environments. (iStock)

“Three who tested positive have died; two of the people who died were hospitalized for other health issues,” the statement continued. 

The New York State Health Department and Albany County Department of Health have tested water samples taken from the facility. 

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“Legionella bacteria was present in some samples and further testing is being done on those samples,” the Albany health department told Fox News Digital. 

“Peregrine has installed water filters so that some showers and bathrooms are available for use.”

When contacted by Fox News Digital, the New York State Department of Health said it is working closely with the Albany County Department of Health and Peregrine Senior Living to investigate and respond to the outbreak.

A total of 20 people have been hospitalized since Aug. 30, according to the local health department.

“State and county health officials have been on site to collect environmental water samples, which are being tested at the State Department of Health’s Wadsworth Center, and Peregrine has posted signage, implemented water restrictions and installed shower filters at the facility,” the spokesperson said.

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“We will continue to work with the facility and county health officials to protect the health and safety of the residents living at Peregrine.”

Fox News Digital reached out to Peregrine Senior Living requesting comment.

What is Legionnaires’ disease?

Legionnaires’ disease is a type of pneumonia caused by Legionella bacteria. 

The bacteria is usually found in lakes, streams and other freshwater environments.

However, it can grow and spread indoors via shower heads, sink faucets, hot tubs, water features/fountains, plumbing systems and other water systems, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

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Doctor listening to man's lungs

When people swallow or breathe in droplets of water that contain Legionella, they can potentially become ill with the disease. “Legionellosis is not contagious and cannot be spread from person to person.” (iStock)

When people swallow or breathe in droplets of water that contain Legionella, they can potentially become ill with Legionnaires’ disease.

Although human transmission is possible in rare cases, the disease is not typically spread from person to person, per the CDC.

“Legionellosis is not contagious and cannot be spread from person to person,” the New York State Department of Health confirmed to Fox News Digital. “It is not a communicable disease and there is no threat to the community at large.”

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Individuals at highest risk include smokers and those with coexisting pulmonary disease, according to Dr. Nathan Goodyear, medical director of Brio-Medical in Arizona, previously told Fox News Digital. 

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“Other risk factors include advancing age, cardiovascular disease, obesity and compromised immune systems,” Goodyear previously told Fox News Digital.

Symptoms of the infection

Symptoms of Legionnaires’ disease usually show up between two and 14 days after exposure. 

The signs are similar to other types of pneumonia, and include the following:

  • Cough
  • Fever
  • Shortness of breath
  • Muscle aches and headaches
Senior man lungs

Symptoms of Legionnaires’ disease include cough, fever, shortness of breath, muscle aches and headaches. (iStock)

Some patients may also experience nausea, diarrhea and confusion, the CDC noted. 

“The nature of the symptoms is not necessarily what differentiate Legionella from other causes, but history of exposure from ‘human-made reservoirs,’ though this may be hard to discern early on in infection and/or in an outbreak,” said Goodyear.

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“Cancer is also a comorbidity of Legionnaires’ disease,” the doctor added.

Those who have any of these symptoms should seek medical attention immediately, the CDC advises.

Diagnosis, treatment and prevention

Diagnosis of Legionnaires’ disease is made via chest X-ray, urine test and lab analysis of a phlegm sample.

Most people with the disease will recover with a course of antibiotics.

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In some patients, however, serious illness can lead to lung failure or death, per the CDC.

Lung scan

Diagnosis of Legionnaires’ disease is made via chest X-ray, urine test and lab analysis of a phlegm sample. (iStock)

Around 10% of people who contract Legionnaires’ disease will die from those complications — and the mortality risk rises to 25% for those who get Legionnaires’ while staying in a health care facility, according to the CDC.

“Treatment needs to be early and aggressive,” Goodyear told Fox News Digital. “Legionella infection is an intracellular infection that requires antibiotic treatment.”

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Antibiotics that are appropriate for Legionella infection include Levofloxacin and Azithromycin. 

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“Therapy can be prescribed orally in healthy individuals … but intravenous antibiotics often prove to be the initial option for treatment secondary to the pathogenicity of the disease,” Goodyear said.

Around 10% of people who contract Legionnaires’ disease will die from complications, according to the CDC.

Currently, there are no vaccines for the disease. 

The best strategy to prevent infection is to reduce the growth and spread of the Legionella bacteria.

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The CDC recommends that building owners and managers use a water management program to reduce the risk.

Senior medication

Most people with the disease will recover with a course of antibiotics. (iStock)

To prevent serious illness from Legionnaires’, Goodyear recommends that all smokers kick the habit, and also emphasizes the need to “aggressively support” chronic pulmonary disease.

For more Health articles, visit www.foxnews.com/health

“Advancing age is a given in life, and immune dysfunction correlates with advancing age,” added Goodyear. 

“Increasing immune support (vitamin D3, vitamin C, Zinc) is required to counter the immune dysfunction associated with advancing age.”

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Obesity is another foundational risk factor for all chronic inflammatory diseases, Goodyear noted.

Anyone who has questions about legionella can visit the Albany County Department of Health’s website at www.albanycountyny.gov/departments/health/legionnaires-disease-legionellosis. 

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Water for Weight Loss? How Much You Should Drink to Shed More Weight

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Ivanka Trump stays fit with this self-defense practice: ‘Moving meditation’

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Ivanka Trump stays fit with this self-defense practice: ‘Moving meditation’

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Ivanka Trump, the daughter of incoming President Donald Trump, has been known to lead an active life.

As the mother of three kids and a lover of outdoor sports, the 43-year-old is always on the move, recently adding jiu-jitsu to her mix of physical activity.

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In a recent appearance on The Skinny Confidential Him & Her podcast, Trump shared how her daughter, Arabella, expressed interest in learning self-defense when she was 11.

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“I’m just so in awe of [her],” Trump said about her daughter. “She came to me and said, ‘As a woman, I feel like I need to know how to defend myself, and I don’t have a confidence level yet that I can do that.’”

Ivanka Trump plays with her daughter, Arabella Rose Kushner, in the Rose Garden during a Congressional Picnic on the South Lawn of the White House in June 2017. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)

Trump responded, “At 11 … I was not thinking about how to physically defend myself, and I thought it was the coolest thing.”

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After researching self-defense options, Trump enrolled Arabella, now 13, in jiu-jitsu (martial arts) classes with the Valente Brothers in Miami, Florida – and soon the whole family joined in.

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“[Arabella] started asking me to join – I joined,” she said. “Then my two sons wanted to do what their older sister was doing. Then my husband joined … It is good for everyone.”

“It’s almost like a moving meditation.”

Trump, who is now a blue belt in jiu-jitsu, described that she likes how the sport “meshes physical movement.”

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“It’s almost like a moving meditation because the movements are so micro,” she said. “It’s like three-dimensional chess.”

“There’s like a real spiritualism to it … The grounding in sort of samurai tradition and culture and wisdom.”

During President Trump’s first term in the White House, Ivanka Trump noted that she had very little focus on fitness, only taking weekly runs with husband Jared Kushner and “chasing the kids around the house.”

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Trump shared that she was “never a gym person,” but always loved sports, which still holds true today.

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She said she enjoys skiing, surfing and racquet sports like padel tennis (a hybrid of tennis and squash) and pickle ball, which she described as “fun and social.”

Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner are seen out for a walk

Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner are seen out for a walk with their children on Dec. 10, 2022, in Miami, Florida. (MEGA/GC Images)

‘Elevating awareness’

On the podcast, Trump said she was drawn to jiu-jitsu because it combines physical fitness and philosophy.

It also focuses more on how to extract yourself from a dangerous situation before having to harm someone who’s a threat, she noted.

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“Having these skills makes you less likely to get into a fight, not more likely to,” Trump went on.

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“Once you have the confidence that you can sort of move out of a situation, there’s a real focus on elevating awareness.”

ivanka trump waves

Ivanka Trump waves as she arrives at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland for US President Donald Trump’s departure on Jan. 20, 2021. (ALEX EDELMAN/AFP via Getty Images)

In a previous interview with Fox News Digital, Rener Gracie, head instructor of jiu-jitsu at Gracie University in California, stressed that the only truly reliable skills are those that have been “mastered into muscle memory.”

This occurs through extensively practicing self-defense methods like Brazilian jiu-jitsu, which are “leverage-based and don’t rely on you having a physical advantage over the subject,” he noted.

“Having these skills makes you less likely to get into a fight, not more likely to.”

“And by that, I mean strength, speed, power and size — because in almost every case, the attacker is going to target someone who they feel is physically inferior to them.”

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Gracie, whose family created Brazilian jiu-jitsu and the UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship), shared that jiu-jitsu is “highly sought after” because it only takes weeks or months for someone to “develop the core skills that could keep them safe in a violent physical encounter.”

‘Transformative’ strength training

In addition to mastering self-defense skills, Ivanka Trump recently revealed a shift in her fitness routine to include weightlifting and resistance training.

On Instagram, Trump posted a video displaying different exercises with various equipment in the gym, noting in the caption that she used to focus primarily on cardio, yoga and Pilates.

“Since moving to Miami, I have shifted my focus to weightlifting and resistance training, and it has been transformative in helping me build muscle and shift my body composition in ways I hadn’t imagined,” she wrote.

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“I believe in a strength training approach built on foundational, time-tested and simple movements – squats, deadlifts, hinges, pushes and pulls. These are the cornerstones of my workout, emphasizing functional strength for life.”

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Trump added that prioritizing form is “essential” to ensure results before adding on weight.

“This ensures a safe and steady progression while maintaining the integrity of each movement,” she continued. “I incorporate mobility work within my sessions to enhance range of motion.”

Ivanka Trump workout

“I believe in a strength training approach built on foundational, time-tested and simple movements – squats, deadlifts, hinges, pushes and pulls,” Ivanka Trump wrote in an October Instagram post. (Ivanka Trump/Instagram)

“Weightlifting has enhanced not just my strength but my overall athleticism and resilience,” she added.

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Trump said she dedicates three to four days a week to strength training, including two solo sessions and two with a personal trainer.

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She also said that increasing her protein intake has also been “critical” to her progress.

“I now consume between 30 and 50 grams of protein a meal,” she said. “It works … I’ve never been stronger!”

Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump in miami

Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump are seen arriving at the beachside eatery on May 2, 2024, in Miami Beach, Florida. (MEGA/GC Images)

Trump also still enjoys weekly yoga sessions, spending time outdoors with her children and playing sports with friends, she said.

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“I also incorporate a couple of short (10-minute), high-intensity interval training sessions (such as sprints) each week to keep my cardiovascular fitness sharp and dynamic,” she noted.

“This balanced approach has infused new energy into my fitness routine and yielded great results.”

Fox News Digital reached out to Ivanka Trump for comment.

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