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FLINT, MI – There have been 20 cases of legionellosis reported in Genesee County since the beginning of the year, according to the Genesee County Department of Health.
State health officials said the county averaged about a dozen cases of legionnaires a year.
According to a GCHD press release, while Legionnaires can be contracted at any time, more cases are reported in the summer and early fall.
The symptoms of legionnaires are coughing, shortness of breath, fever, muscle aches, headaches and diarrhea and mental changes.
Genesee County reminds residents of the risk of legionnaires early in the summer
The Legionella bacteria that causes the disease can occur naturally, but bacteria can also be found in artificial items such as "cooling towers, hot water tanks, humidifiers, nebulizers, showers, hot tubs, and decorative fountains. ".
Healthy people usually do not develop legionnaires after being exposed to legionellosis, but over-50s, current or former smokers, as well as people with weakened immune systems or chronic lung disease are the most at risk.
The filter water does not protect against Legionella bacteria, the press release continues.
GCHD encourages facilities that maintain stagnant water, such as hot tubs, humidifiers and decorative fountains, to develop water management procedures to protect themselves from bacteria.
The Flint region has experienced outbreaks of legionellosis in 2014 and 2015, which have left at least 12 dead and dozens of others sick.
The epidemics coincided with the city's change of drinking water source, and two separate academic studies suggested that the switch was the trigger for the increase in cases.
However, the release came a week after the Michigan Department of Health and Social Services said that McLaren-Flint hospital, not Flint Water, was causing the legionnaires to skyrocket. This report contradicts previous findings from the Wayne State and Virginia Tech Universities, both of which attribute Flint water to the probable cause of the increase in cases.
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