QUINCY, Illinois (AP) - A third new case of Legionnaires' disease has been reported this week in a resident at a western Illinois veterans' home.
State officials said Thursday that the latest laboratory-confirmed case at the Illinois Veterans Home in Quincy was reported late Wednesday. The resident is in stable condition. The illness has been linked to the deaths of 13 people at the home since 2015.
In response, the state is boosting water disinfection to reduce potential exposure. The disease is a severe form of pneumonia caused by bacteria in water vapor that's inhaled. The state also is installing new filter on sinks to reduce aeration, limiting bathing to showers only and checking residents' temperatures every two hours while they're awake.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention representatives returned to the home Tuesday to review testing protocols for those with respiratory illness.