ASHEVILLE, N.C. — The outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease that killed four people last year at the NC Mountain State Fair has been reported to have been caused by the hot tub water that was sprayed into the air.
The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services released its final report on the public health investigation on Thursday.
Through the investigation it has been identified that there was 136 cases of the disease and one case of Pontiac Fever in residents of multiple states and North Carolina counties who had attended the Mountain State Fair.
Ninety-six patients were hospitalized.
The report said that people attending the fair that took place in Fletcher, N.C. in September, were likely exposed to the bacteria in aerosolized water from hot tubs on display there.
Hot tubs are a well-established source of aerosolized water exposure and have been linked to other Legionnaires’ disease outbreaks nationally and internationally, the news release said.
In response to this outbreak and investigation, the Division of Public Health and CDC have developed and distributed guidance for vendors and public health practitioners on how to minimize risks at fairs and other temporary events from hot tubs and other display equipment that aerosolizes water.
Legionaires’s disease is a form of bacterial pneumonia or lung infection that people can get when they breathe in small droplets of water within the air that contains the bacterial.
Legionnaires’ disease is a serious illness but can be treated effectively with antibiotics. The bacteria can also cause a milder flu-like illness called Pontiac fever, which resolves without treatment.
The final report confirms the cause that was included in an interim report released in October.
