Health officials: Aultman Alliance Community Hospital has two Legionella cases

ALLIANCE ‒ Health officials are investigating two positive cases for Legionella bacteria at Aultman Alliance Community Hospital .

A news release was issued Thursday by Aultman Health System.

The release said two patients tested positive for the bacteria following hospital visits in Alliance though it has not been confirmed where the Legionella exposure occurred. The officials also said it does not pose a risk for the Alliance community, but officials are investigating the hospital's water system.

The patients were from Stark and Columbiana counties, respectively.

"Our department received reports of two cases of Legionella," said Randy Flint, the city's Health Commissioner. "At this point there has not been any association identified with those cases."

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Legionella is a common bacteria found in the environment and in water systems. It can cause a severe type of pneumonia - Legionnaires' disease - which impacts lungs, or a mild flu-like illness called Pontiac fever.

“Since April, two of our patients were exposed to Legionella, and while we do not know where the exposure occurred or if it has anything to do with the care they received at Aultman Alliance, we’re taking all steps available to us to ensure the safety of our water systems out of an abundance of caution,” Ryan Jones, president, Aultman Alliance Community Hospital, said in a statement.

Along with the Alliance City Health Department and the Ohio Department of Health, Aultman Alliance Community Hospital is taking steps to mitigate any risk, including new water filters throughout the facility, regularly collecting samples for testing and using bottled water, as needed, the release said.

This article originally appeared on The Repository: Health officials: Aultman Alliance Community Hospital has two Legionella cases