Despite concerns, Oakland Co. health says Legionella response adequate

By Max Bryan, mbryan@detroitnews.com

Oakland County well being and amenities officers on Tuesday defended their timeline for testing county amenities for a kind of micro organism that causes Legionnaires’ illness, calling it enough in response to issues from a commissioner who questioned their timing.

In response to data, the county was notified on Nov. 6 that an worker on the sheriff’s administration constructing at North Telegraph was hospitalized with Legionnaires’ illness, however it took greater than two weeks, till Nov. 25, to conduct the checks. The testing yielded a constructive case on Dec. 4, prompting the county to shut the constructing for 2 days.

The constructive check additionally prompted testing on the county courthouse, as somebody who examined constructive for the illness in April listed the courthouse as a spot they visited throughout their publicity interval. This check returned a constructive consequence on December 23, however was not shared with workers till three days later.

On December 30, a mop closet sink within the sheriff’s administration constructing examined constructive for Legionella, however not one of the six unique fixtures that examined constructive on November 25 had been constructive on the time. On the courthouse, two males’s restrooms and a sink examined constructive, however not one of the six fixtures within the constructing examined constructive once more on Dec. 15, in line with information offered Tuesday to the Board of Commissioners’ Well being and Public Security Committee.

County Commissioner Michael Spisz questioned why the method was taking so lengthy. County Director of Danger Administration Diana McBroom famous that the incubation interval for Legionnaires’ illness is usually two weeks.

County Epidemiologist Michael Swain adopted up, saying the county well being division sometimes doesn’t conduct Legionnaires’ illness testing.

“We needed to get the bottles and swabs from Lansing,” Swain stated.

“How far is Lansing? So why did not somebody get within the automotive, drive there and drive again?” Spisz stated.

“There have been discussions with the state throughout that point to find out if it will be categorized as an outbreak,” Swain stated, including that the state won’t ship the bottles and swabs except it’s categorized as an outbreak.

Spisz known as the response gradual, however Commissioner Marcia Gershenson famous that the general public sector strikes extra slowly than the non-public sector.

Kate Guzman, the county’s well being officer, added that the timeline follows what they might do in the event that they had been testing at a hospital or long-term care facility. Guzman additionally stated the general public turned accustomed to a quicker response from public well being officers through the COVID-19 pandemic.

“That was a public well being emergency the place we dropped all the things and responded with full power, the place all 400 workers dropped all the things and responded to an outbreak that was a public well being emergency,” she stated. “One case of Legionnaires’ illness doesn’t justify that form of response.”

Spisz additionally was annoyed with the communication of the check outcomes to him and different officers. He stated that in such a scenario he would really like every day updates.

“That is why I am annoyed, as a result of I examine this later,” Spisz stated.

Spisz requested well being and amenities administration to supply updates like Tuesday’s not less than as soon as a month, together with on the subsequent Well being and Public Security Committee assembly. McBroom beneficial the creation of a water security committee.

In a information launch Tuesday, the provincial authorities stated they’ve made “important” progress on Legionella remediation by means of testing, filter set up, system flushing and monitoring.

The county flushes water methods in all county buildings, displays water heaters and boilers, performs chemical therapies on cooling towers and seasonally drains and cleans water cooling tools, the discharge stated.