Genesee County’s First Legionnaires’ Case of 2016 Confirmed

In news release on Wednesday, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services confirmed that Genesee County has seen its first Legionnaires case of 2016.

The MDHHS says the case involves a 65-year-old who is hospitalized. Officials say there is no indication the patient was exposed to the Legionella bacteria in Flint and are trying to determine where the person was exposed.

There were 91 cases - including 12 deaths - of Legionnaires over a 17-month period between 2014 and 2015 in the Flint area. Legionnaires' Disease is a form of pnuemonia caused by bacteria in the lungs inhaled from contaminated water systems. Some believe the outbreak is linked to Flint water crisis and the lead-tainted water after the city switched to the Flint River as its water source in 2014.