New cases of Legionnaires' disease found at veterans home

QUINCY, Ill. (AP) - Two new cases of Legionnaires' disease have turned up among residents of the Illinois Veterans Home in the Mississippi River city of Quincy.

The Quincy Herald-Whig reports (http://bit.ly/29Ybou2) the cases disclosed Tuesday by the Illinois Department of Veterans Affairs comes less than a month after a nearly $5 million state-of-the-art water treatment plant and delivery system was unveiled at the facility.

Last year, Legionnaires' disease sickened 53 people and led to 12 deaths at the home. The Centers for Disease Control determined the bacteria that causes a severe form of pneumonia was likely spread by an aging water system at the 129-year-old facility.

Veterans Affairs spokesman Dave MacDonna would not disclose the condition of the two residents who recently contracted the disease, citing health privacy laws. However, he said there have been no deaths.