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Cleveland Hospital: Ohio Woman Dies of Legionnaires’ Disease
By: Associated Press
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CLEVELAND (AP) – A spokeswoman for a Cleveland hospital says a 53-year-old woman has died from complications of community-acquired Legionnaires’ disease.
Alicia Reale of the University Hospitals Case Medical Center says the woman, who lived in northeast Ohio, died Thursday morning from the disease. Other information, such as the woman’s name, was not released.
Her death comes as New York City is grappling with the largest outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease. It’s a form of pneumonia caused by breathing in mist contaminated with the Legionella bacteria. Ten people have died and 100 people have been diagnosed there.
People can get exposed to the bacteria from a variety of sources. The disease is easily diagnosed and can be treated with antibiotics but poses a serious risk to anyone with an underlying medical condition.