Legionella has been detected in two buildings at Oakland County Children’s Village, the latest government facility in the county to test positive for the bacteria that causes Legionnaire’s disease.
County officials said the bacteria was found in “low levels” at the Children’s Village, which is a juvenile detention center, in both the school building and Building D, which is used for secure detention of boys.
Facilities management workers are now installing specialized filters, flushing water systems and conducting follow-up testing in line with federal guidelines, the county said.
Water samples from eight buildings at the facility in Pontiac were collected on Feb. 24 and the results were returned March 4. Legionella was not detected in the six other buildings.
In a press release announcing the positive test results, the county noted that there are no known cases of Legionnaires’ disease associated with either building and that the detected strain is not the type most commonly associated with Legionnaires’ disease.
The Children’s Village findings come as Oakland County continues broader Legionella prevention efforts across its facilities.
The county began flushing water at its buildings more than a month ago following positive detections at the sheriff’s administration building and the county courthouse. A Sheriff’s Office employee was hospitalized with Legionnaires’, and another person who tested positive for the disease in April listed the courthouse as a place they had visited.
The county said it has invested more than $640,000 in Legionella remediation and preventive measures since then, including nearly $563,000 to buy special filters.
To date, the Oakland County Facilities Management Department has installed more than 500 filters in buildings where Legionella has been detected.
Legionnaires’ disease is a bacterial infection that is a type of pneumonia, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). It is contracted by breathing in mist containing Legionella.
The disease generally isn’t spread from person to person. The bacteria can be spread by water systems like showers, sinks and hot tubs, or through a building’s heating and ventilation systems, the CDC said.
mreinhart@detroitnews.com
@max_detroitnews
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Legionella detected in Oakland County youth detention center
Reporting by Max Reinhart, The Detroit News / The Detroit News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
