7 Caught Legionnaire's Disease In Lincoln, But It's 'No Longer A Risk'

LINCOLN, NH — There is “no longer an elevated risk” of contracting Legionnaire’s disease in Lincoln after seven people became infected by bacteria in a cooling tower in town over the summer, New Hampshire health officials said Wednesday.

Legionnaire’s disease is a bacterial pneumonia caused by inhaling water droplets contaminated with Legionella bacteria, the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services said. Initially, officials said that five diagnoses were made in June and July, but they added Wednesday that two additional cases have since been confirmed. All seven people were exposed to contaminated water droplets from a cooling tower behind the RiverWalk Resort downtown, according to officials.

The cooling tower underwent a cleaning and disinfecting process, after which testing conducted by the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Public Health Services, and the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services confirmed that “remediation efforts to eliminate Legionella bacteria were successful,” officials said.

The cleaning took place on Aug. 12, and water samples were collected for additional testing.

“Test results, which were received today, confirm the effectiveness of the facility’s cleaning and disinfection process with negative results for Legionella,” officials said Wednesday. “RiverWalk continues to partner with DHHS and NHDES on a water management plan to prevent future contamination or bacterial re-growth.”

The health department said it will investigate any other diagnoses with a potential link to the area.

“The negative test results received today are good news and demonstrate the effectiveness of the cleaning and disinfection of the cooling tower,” Dr. Benjamin Chan, New Hampshire State Epidemiologist, said Wednesday. “Therefore, we do not believe there is currently an elevated risk for Legionella infection from this cooling tower, and we will continue to monitor and work with the facility to ensure an appropriate management plan is in place to prevent future contamination or re-growth of the bacteria.”

Legionella are naturally occurring environmental bacteria that can grow in water systems and infect people who breathe in contaminated water droplets from showers, hot tubs, faucets, cooling towers, misters, and decorative fountains, according to health officials.

People and businesses can prevent waterborne germs from growing in water sources by properly cleaning and maintining all devices that use water, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.