MDH: Grand Rapids municipal water supply source of Legionnaires' disease outbreak
GRAND RAPIDS, Minn. — Health officials announced Monday that they have identified the source of a potentially deadly disease outbreak in northern Minnesota.
Fourteen cases of Legionnaires' disease have been confirmed around the city of Grand Rapids since April 2023, according to the Minnesota Department of Health.
Legionnaires' disease is a serious type of pneumonia caused by inhaling Legionella bacteria found in water. Common sources of exposure include showers and hot tubs. People do not get infected by drinking the contaminated water, but by breathing in water droplets containing the bacteria.
MDH officials now say the municipal water supply is the source of the outbreak.
MORE NEWS: Otsego man wins Super Bowl tickets in Red Cross giveaway
Legionella lives and grows well in water that is not treated with adequate water treatment chemicals like chlorine. Grand Rapids Public Utilities is one of a few Minnesota community water systems that does not chlorinate its water, according to MDH.
The general manager for Grand Rapids Public Utilities, Julie Kennedy, says they are looking into installing a chlorination system.
Residents are advised to regularly clean all devices that use water to prevent germs from growing within the faucet. The CDC also offers a list of tips for preventing waterborne germs at home.
In 2023, there were 134 cases of Legionnaires' disease in Minnesota and six deaths. No deaths have been associated with the outbreak in Grand Rapids so far.
