DETROIT (AP) — The head of a Flint hospital where Legionella bacteria were discovered says the Flint River was suspected as the source of the contaminant that causes Legionnaires’ disease.
Don Kooy says McLaren hospital spent more than $300,000 on a water treatment system and turned to bottled water.
The state says at least 87 Legionnaires’ cases, including nine deaths, were confirmed throughout Genesee County during a 17-month period — a major spike. But officials are unsure about a firm link to the Flint River.
Michigan health officials announced the increase in Legionnaires’ disease cases in the Flint area in mid-January.
Legionnaires’ is a pneumonia caused by bacteria. People can get sick if they inhale mist or vapor from contaminated water systems, hot tubs and cooling systems.
Kooy says two cases may have been linked to exposure to bacteria in the hospital, but both patients were successfully treated.
On Friday, Governor Rick Snyder announced the hiring public relations specialists to help him deal with the Flint water crisis. Snyder chief of staff Jarrod Agen says public money won’t be used. The Detroit News and Detroit Free Press say the governor has hired the Mercury firm, where Agen’s wife is a senior vice president in the firm’s Ft. Lauderdale, Florida office.
