By NewsDesk  @infectiousdiseasenews

In a follow-up on the Legionnaires’ disease outbreak associated with the NC Mountain State Fair, North Carolina health officials report that as of Oct. 9, 134 cases of Legionnaires’ disease or Pontiac Fever have been confirmed in residents of multiple states and North Carolina counties who attended the 2019 NC Mountain State Fair, which took place Sept. 6–15, 2019 at the Western North Carolina Agricultural Center in Fletcher, NC.

This image depicts two Legionella pneumophila bacterial colonies (arrowheads), amongst other bacterial colonies grown on BCYE (Buffered Charcoal Yeast Extract) agar/CDC

In addition, eighty-eight people have been hospitalized and two deaths have been reported.

The preliminary epidemiologic and environmental findings suggest that exposure to Legionella bacteria occurred in the Davis Event Center of the WNC Ag Center, particularly near the hot tubs and during the last five days of the fair.

Hot tubs are a well-established source of aerosolized water exposure and have been associated with previous Legionnaires’ disease outbreaks nationally and internationally.

There were no other significant sources of aerosolized water at the WNC Ag Center and no other ongoing potential sources of exposure identified.