Minn. officials confirm more Legionnaires' cases

Nine cases of Legionnaires' disease have now been linked to an outbreak among people who live or work in the Twin Cities suburb of Hopkins.

No one has died from the respiratory condition, although most of the patients were or still are hospitalized.

Minnesota epidemiologists expect the number could rise as they've received more reports yet to be confirmed.

The state Department of Health still is searching for the source of the outbreak.

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But investigators are concentrating on an area west of Highway 169 and Excelsior Blvd. where most of the people stricken either work or live, said deputy state epidemiologist Richard Danila.

"I can say that of our nine cases, not all of them had any specific place or store or restaurant or site in common," Danila said.

Investigators are looking at the types of sources that historically have contributed to Legionnaires' spread: cooling towers, fountains or any other possible water source where the bacterium could grow.

"These outbreaks are very difficult to pinpoint sometimes and it's just good to go ahead and clean and sanitize and hyper-chlorinate, or hyper-sanitize, all of the sites that could possibly be the source or the cause," Danila said.

The Hopkins patients range in age from their 20s to 90s, Danila said, adding that more cases are possible because the disease has a long incubation period.

Minnesota typically sees 50 to 60 cases of Legionnaires' disease per year. However the state has already surpassed that tally this year.

Most people exposed to the bacteria that causes Legionnaires' disease don't get sick. You can't get the disease from drinking water or another person — it's spread via inhalation of spray from contaminated water.

The elderly, smokers and people with weakened immune systems or chronic conditions are most at risk. Symptoms of Legionnaires' include muscle aches, a high fever, headache and loss of appetite.

Nancy Lebens contributed reporting for this story