Catholic church in Burbank church site of Legionnaires’ disease: officials say

State health officials are investigating a cluster of Legionnaires’ disease cases, some of which are linked to a Catholic Church in southwest suburban Burbank.

The cluster being probed, with onset dates between June and August, were linked to St. Albert the Great Church, 8000 Linder Ave. in the city of Burbank, according to a statement from the Illinois Department of Public Health.

Laboratory tests detected the presence of legionella in the church’s cooling tower after IDPH’s Environmental Health staff inspected the church and collected samples, the statement said.

Three cases were “epidemiologically linked” and one case was geographically linked to the church.

The IDPH has alerted hospitals and health providers in the area to consider Legionnaires’ disease in diagnosing patients with clinically compatible illnesses, the statement said.

Additionally, local state health departments investigating cases of Legionnaires’ disease were asked to inquire about any time spent in Burbank during the 14 days prior to onset of symptoms.

The church is fully cooperating in remediating the cooling tower and notifying parishioners of the situation, according to the statement, which added the cooling tower will be shut down until legionella is no longer detected.

“As the epidemiological and environmental investigation of this Legionnaires’ disease cluster continues, it is important to release this information to ensure that anyone with risk factors who feels symptoms is aware and seeks evaluation and treatment,” said IDPH Director Dr. Sameer Vohra in the statement.

“Legionnaires’ disease usually begins with a high fever (102 degrees F to 105 degrees F), chills, muscle aches, cough and shortness of breath, and symptoms usually develop up to two weeks after exposure.”

Legionnaires’ disease is a serious lung infection (pneumonia) that people can get by breathing in small droplets of water containing Legionella bacteria, the statement said.

It is not transmitted person-to-person.

Outbreaks are most commonly associated with buildings or structures that have complex water systems, like hotels, hospitals, long-term care facilities, and cruise ships, according to the statement. 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.

Most healthy people do not get Legionnaires’ disease after being exposed to Legionella bacteria, the statement said.

People at increased risk of Legionnaires’ disease are those 50 years of age or older, or those who have certain risk factors, such as being a current or former smoker, having a chronic disease, or having a weakened immune system.

In 2021 Illinois reported 522 cases of Legionnaires’ disease statewide with 227 confirmed to date in 2022

rsobol@chicagotribune.com