Editorial: U-46's 'canary' experience reveals health preparedness gap
There are some things to take comfort in regarding the three-day Legionella scare at Elgin Area School District U-46.
One is that people under 20 years old rarely contract the Legionnaires' disease the bacteria can cause, so children weren't at a high risk.
Another is that the bacteria was discovered because U-46 proactively conducted tests recommended by a national group of engineering experts, though not required by law, so the district takes seriously its responsibilities for the health of its students and employees.
But after that, the discomforts from this experience abound. At the top of that list is the clear frustration evident in the response of U-46 CEO Tony Sanders about his inability to get reliable information from government agencies about the dangers the bacteria posed.
It was bad enough that Sanders had to close a middle school, a high school and its central office for three days for a risk of indeterminate magnitude. It was worse still that the response from government agencies couldn't help alleviate the crisis, because state and federal health agencies don't issue recommendations on the response to discovery of Legionella.
The head of infection control at Advocate Sherman Hospital in Elgin, the institution that finally was able to provide some practical expertise and advice, called U-46 "the canary in the coal mine," in identifying the shortcomings of health policy related to Legionella. That must seem small compensation for Sanders or any of the 3,000 students, teachers and staff inconvenienced by the three-day shutdown, but for the other schools and institutions in the suburbs, it's a signal demanding attention.
First, agencies should move to take the one solid piece of advice Sanders got from the Illinois Department of Public Health - develop a water-management plan that can prevent the emergence of bacteria like Legionella.
They also would do well to develop a response in the event their own testing reveals a similar health concern.
Then, they need to pressure federal and state public health officials for clearer direction on safety standards for bacteria levels. The IDPH told Daily Herald staff writers Madhu Krishnamurthy and Lauren Rohr it doesn't recommend routine sampling for Legionella. The national group of professional experts obviously does. What is a responsible school district or municipality to take from that contradiction? How can it know what actions to take to ensure the safety of students, employees or the public at large?
Fortunately, no harm appears to have come from the scare at U-46. But school leaders like Sanders test because they want to rely not on luck but on facts and standards. For agencies at all levels, the warning from the "canary" at U-46 is to move faster and deeper in that direction.