4 Legionnaire's Disease Cases Tied To Burbank Church Have Recovered

BURBANK, IL — Four people who contracted Legionnaire’s disease tied to St. Albert the Great Catholic Church in Burbank have recovered, a Stickney Health District official told Patch. The cluster of cases occurred between June and August.

Illinois local 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. Three cases were epidemiologically linked, and one case was geographically linked to St. Albert the Great Church in Burbank. IDPH’s Environmental Health staff inspected the church and collected samples. Laboratory tests detected the presence of legionella in the church’s cooling tower.

Health officials say the church is fully cooperating in remediating the cooling tower and notifying parishioners of the situation. The cooling tower will be shut down until legionella are no longer detected.

The cooling tower is located outside the church building and only services the church. The parish elementary school and other buildings on the St. Albert campus have their own separate air-conditioning systems. The system holds water that runs through the exterior and never comes in contact with the air conditioning internal air, a letter to parishioners said.

St. Albert’s cooling system was shut down last week. A remediation plan was completed by the parish in accordance with CDC guidelines. Church officials say there is no ongoing risk of infection.

Legionnaires’ disease is a serious lung infection (pneumonia) that people can get by breathing in small droplets of water containing Legionella bacteria. 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. 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. People at increased risk of Legionnaire’s 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.

Hospitals, doctor’s offices and urgent care centers are being advised to test for Legionnaire’s disease for patients exhibiting a high fever (102 degrees to 105 degrees), chills, muscle aches, cough and shortness of breath. No other cases associated with the outbreak at St. Albert have been reported.

“As of today, we're only aware of four cases,” said Dr. Christopher Grunow, health director for Stickney Township. “Based on the information we have now, all four patients have recovered, but I could not speak to any long term effects.”