Legionnaires' Outbreak: Rauner Staying At Quincy Veterans Home

QUINCY, IL — Gov. Bruce Rauner, who faced backlash after a Legionnaires' disease outbreak at the Illinois Veteran's Home in Quincy, has checked into the facility and plans to stay there for several nights, his office confirmed. Eleven families recently filed a lawsuit against the state in connection with a 2015 outbreak that killed 12 residents, and a new case of Legionnaires' was reported at the facility as recently as November.

On Nov. 29, the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) reported that one resident at the veteran's home was diagnosed while being treated at a local hospital, but had since been released and was recovering.

Legionnaires' disease is a severe form of pneumonia called by legionella bacteria. The disease is not typically spread by person-to-person contact, although that can occur in rare cases, and is usually contracted by inhaling the bacteria. Last month, IDPH said two cases of the illness were reported at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago, saying the cases — one in November and one in May — were found to be related.

A spokeswoman told the Chicago Sun-Times Rauner checked into the Quincy veterans home Wednesday night and plans to spend several days there with the residents and staff," adding that the governor "wants to gain a more thorough understanding of the clinical, water-treatment and residential operations of the home.”

The Illinois Department of Veterans' Affairs completed "an extensive renovation" of the plumbing system at the Quincy veteran's home following the 2015 outbreak, according to IDPH.

Related:

• More Legionnaires' Cases At IL Veteran's Home, Chicago Hospital
• Legionnaires' Outbreak At Illinois Veterans Home Sparks Lawsuit

AP Photo/Seth Perlman, File