Legionnaire's hits 6 at hotel in Albany
ALBANY — Six cases of Legionnaire's disease have been linked to the Best Western Sovereign Hotel at 1228 Western Ave., the state Department of Health said Thursday.
The guests who became ill stayed at the hotel between September and December, according to Peter Constantakes , a health department spokesman.
Tests confirmed Monday that higher than normal levels of legionnella bacteria were present in the hotel's water system, Constantakes said.
"We are fully cooperating with the Department of Health on this matter, and have taken all recommended steps to eliminate the bacteria," said Phoenix-based Best Western International in a statement. "Of note, the Department of Health has not closed the hotel, which means that the Department of Health has determined that current guests are not at risk based upon the remedial measures we have taken. In addition, we have provided a list of recent guests to the Department of Health for monitoring. We consider guest safety most important, and we have and we will do everything we can to address the matter."
Legionnaire's is a severe form of pneumonia. It is usually caused by breathing in the mist from hot tubs, showers or air conditioning units contaminated by legionella. Symptoms include fever, chills, muscle aches and a high fever. It usually develops 2 to 14 days after exposure.
The disease often crops up in hotels and water parks where people are exposed to water spray. The Luxor hotel in Las Vegas and the four-star Diamante Beach Hotel in Spain have experienced Legionnaire outbreaks in recent weeks.
The six Best Western guests who became ill have recovered. It was state epidemiologists who tracked the illness back to the hotel. Water tests were conducted at the hotel on Jan. 24 and the results were confirmed on Monday.
Best Western Sovereign will flush its water system on Sunday under the supervision of county officials, said Mary Rozak , spokeswoman for Albany County Department of Health .
Albany Hot Tubs - News
It is usually caused by breathing in the mist from hot tubs, showers or air conditioning units contaminated by legionella. Symptoms include fever, chills, muscle aches and a high fever. It usually develops 2 to 14 days after exposure.
The hotel will flush out its water system on Sunday, according to the Albany County Health Department. Legionnaires' is a severe form of pneumonia. The disease is transmitted on water droplets that can come from shower mist, steam from a hot tub and
A quick recap of the week | All Over Albany
Say Something!
We'd really like you to take part in the conversation here at All Over Albany. But we do have a few rules here. Don't worry, they're easy. The first: be kind. The second: treat everyone else with the same respect you'd like to see in return. Cool? Great, post away. Comments are moderated so it might take a little while for your comment to show up. Thanks for being patient.