MA, RI Tourists Infected With Legionnaires' Disease After Stays At A NH Resort, One Dies

By Nancy West, InDepth NH

CONCORD, NH — The New Hampshire Division of Public Health Services said two out-of-state residents were recently diagnosed with Legionnaires’ disease after staying at the Mountain View Grand Resort in Whitefield, according to a division’s public health alert.

WMUR reported Friday that the individual from Massachusetts has died and the one from Rhode Island was hospitalized, that they weren’t associated with each other and stayed in different rooms at different times.

The state health alert said an investigation is ongoing to assess potential sources of exposure. The alerts are usually sent out to participants in the healthcare field, according to its website. Alert available here: https://indepthnh.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Legionella_Mountain-View-Grand-Resor.pdf

Attempts to reach the resort Friday were unsuccessful.

The state Department of Health and Human Services didn’t send out a news release as it has in the past when Legionnaires’ disease is reported that included a phone number for people to call if they have questions, which the alert didn’t include. InDepthNH.org received a copy of this alert from a friend in the healthcare field.

The alert said healthcare providers should consider Legionella infection when evaluating community acquired pneumonia and ask patients about travel (including local travel) in the 14 days prior to symptom onset.

The division alert included the following information:

Diagnostic workup for Legionella infection should include both urine antigen testing (UAT) and respiratory specimen culture; if a patient is positive by UAT, then a respiratory Legionella culture should be obtained as soon as possible. The New Hampshire Public Health Laboratories is available to support testing, if needed.

Healthcare providers should report suspected and confirmed cases of Legionella infection to NH DPHS at 603-271-4496 (after hours 603-271-5300).

Legionella bacteria are aerobic, gram-negative, intracellular pathogens that are commonly found in water and soil. Human infection is typically acquired through inhalation of contaminated water aerosols.Most Legionella infections are sporadic; however, outbreaks can occur and are often associated with exposure to contaminated communal water supplies in large facilities such as hospitals, hotels, or apartment buildings.

The two primary clinical syndromes caused by Legionella pneumophila are Legionnaires’ disease (pneumonia) and Pontiac fever; the latter being an acute, nonspecific, self-limited febrile illness. Legionnaires’ disease is a pneumonia characterized by fever, cough, shortness of breath, muscle aches, headaches, and pulmonary infiltrates consistent with pneumonia. Illness often is severe enough to require hospitalization.

Symptoms of Legionnaires’ disease usually develop 2-14 days following exposure to an environmental source.

This story was originally published by InDepth NH.