Two patients at the University of Chicago Medical Center have tested positive for Legionnaires’ disease, officials announced Friday.
An investigation was underway and was limited to the medical center, 5841 S. Maryland Ave., in the city’s Hyde Park neighborhood, according to the Illinois Department of Public Health.
“The general public is not at risk,’’ an agency statement said.
These were different cases than the two patients who came down with Legionnaires’ at Mercy Hospital and Medical Center one week ago, confirmed IDPH spokeswoman Melaney Arnold.
The individuals were patients at the University of Chicago Medical Center for part of the time when they could have been exposed to the bacteria, according to the statement. Both people also received care elsewhere during the same period.
Further details were not released on how they became exposed, and the IDPH said after extensive tests water at the hospital was not affected by the bacteria.
The University of Chicago Medical Center was conducting surveillance to identify other potential cases and to ensure appropriate testing and clinical management.
Last Friday, another Chicago hospital, Mercy Medical Center, had a similar outbreak — two patients there came down with the disease, exposed to it possibly through the water system at the hospital, 2525 S. Michigan Ave., in the Bronzeville neighborhood.
Legionnaires’ disease is a serious lung infection (pneumonia) that people can get by breathing in small droplets of water containing Legionella bacteria. Legionnaires’ disease is not passed from person to person.
The U. of C. Medical Center and its water management team are working with IDPH and the Chicago Department of Public Health to strengthen its water management practices. The facility routinely follows protective measures such as flushing the water systems and altering or replacing water fixtures.
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Legionella bacteria occur naturally in the environment. Water containing Legionella bacteria can be aerosolized through cooling towers, showers, hot tubs and decorative fountains, and can cause illness when inhaled.
Outbreaks are most commonly associated with buildings or structures that have complex water systems like hotels, hospitals, long-term care facilities and cruise ships, an earlier IDPH statement said.
The bacterium can become a health concern when it grows and spreads in human-made water systems, like hot tubs, cooling towers, hot water tanks, large plumbing systems and decorative fountains.
