Nassau Gym's Pool Closed After Health Department Finds Legionnaires' Disease

The pool and spa of a gym in Garden City Park were shut down after water samples tested by the Nassau County Health Department tested positive for Legionnaires' disease, and more than one person may have been infected.

LA Fitness, located at 2350 Jericho Turnpike, had its pool and hot tub shut down on Dec. 30. A case of Legionnaires' disease was reported to the county health department, and after investigating and interviewing the patient, it was determined that the patient may have been exposed to the bacteria at the gym. The DOH tested many samples of water and found two that tested positive for legionella bacteria, which causes the disease.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Legionnaires' disease is a type of pneumonia. Symptoms include cough, shortness of breath, fever, muscle aches and headaches. It can also cause diarrhea, nausea and confusion. Symptoms usually start showing two to 10 days after exposure to the bacteria, but it can take longer.

Legionnaires' is not transmitted person-to-person, but through water. It's most often found in places like pools and hot tubs, as well as cooling towers for large buildings and decorative fountains. It is a serious illness but can be treated with antibiotics. The CDC says that most people who contract the illness require hospitalization but make a full recovery. Still, one out of 10 people infected die from the disease.

Because of the seriousness of the illness, the DOH instructed LA Fitness to notify members and guests of the findings.

"Out of an abundance of caution, we required LA Fitness to notify members and guests from November and December," said DOH spokeswoman Mary Ellen Laurain.

Any time someone is hospitalized with Legionnaires' disease, it is reported to the Department of Health, which investigates. "We are investigating more than one potential case that could be associated with this," Laurain said.

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