Cook County detainee diagnosed with Legionnaires' Disease

An inmate at the Cook County jail has tested positive for Legionnaire's Disease, the Cook County sheriff's office announced Tuesday.

The sheriff's office said it is an isolated case, according to the release. The inmate, who has been in the jail since fall of 2015, was taken to Stroger Hospital July 6 with pneumonia-like symptoms. He is still hospitalized but doing well, the release said.

Neither his cellmate nor any other inmates or staff members have developed symptoms, the sheriff's office said. However, the detainees in that area will be moved as a precaution. Staff members have been notified and asked to consult their own doctors.

Cook County Sheriff Thomas Dart has asked the Cook County Department of Facilities Management, an agency of the county board, and the Cook County Health and Hospital Systems to immediately identify the source of the bacteria.

The sheriff's office said it was notified of the positive test Tuesday by Cermak Health Services, a division of the Cook County Health and Hospital System.

Legionnaires' disease is a severe form of pneumonia and is caused by water born bacterium known as legionella. The disease is not spread from person-to-person contact, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

It is generally spread by inhalation of water that contains the bacteria. Most healthy people exposed to the bacteria do not get sick, but older adults, smokers and people with weakened immune systems are particularly susceptible.