Legionnaires' Disease 'Clusters' Found In Chicago Nursing Home, Suburban Counties
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Residents at a Chicago nursing home are asking why they seem to be the last to know about a Legionnaires' disease outbreak at their facility.
On Friday, the state health department identified two clusters of the potentially fatal lung infection in Illinois. One of the places is the Warren Barr South Loop location.
The facility is not talking about the Legionnaires' cases. Not to CBS 2 and not to its patients.
"This is the first I'm hearing is from you guys," said patient Shawn Estoque. "I just know we can't use the water. I didn't know it was that serious."
Patients CBS 2 spoke to outside the Warren Barr South Loop nursing home said no one told them that two residents there contracted Legionnaires' disease.
That's according to the Illinois Department of Public Health which says there are three cases in Lake and McHenry counties tied to a Walmart in Johnsburg, Illinois.
In a statement Warren Barr said "a resident from our facility, who was also treated at another healthcare institution, has tested positive..."
The health department said a second case was identified in August.
"It's extremely scary if there's something going around I think we should've been notified of it and I wasn't told," said patient Corriett Seltzer. This is the first I've heard of it since you just mentioned it."
Legionnaires'disease is a serious lung infection people get by breathing in bacteria-filled droplets of water. Warren Barr has told patients not to use the water which is being tested with the bacteria.
"I just thought something was going on with the water and they were fixing it. I didn't know it was something this serious," said Seltzer.
The daughter of a former patient said she hopes the staff works to get the word out.
"I mean you don't want to cause panic, but you want to make sure that you get the condition under control,"said Victoria Carrera.
In 2015, a patient from the Warren Barr facility in the Gold Coast died of Legionnaire's disease.
