Virgin Islands Department of Health Temporarily Closes Hotel due to Legionella Concerns

Last month, the U.S. Virgin Islands Department of Health announced it had issued an immediate Cease-and-Desist Order to a hotel in St. Croix. It required the hotel to suspend all operations due to the detection of Legionella contamination in multiple water sources.

According to the VI Department of Health:
Two guests who recently stayed at the hotel have been diagnosed with Legionnaire’s disease, a serious form of pneumonia caused by inhaling water droplets contaminated with Legionella bacteria. The individuals fell ill after using water facilities during their stay. One guest required hospitalization and intubation in an intensive care unit (ICU). The other guest is recovering without hospitalization. An additional three (3) guests have suspected Legionnaire’s disease, and these cases are currently being investigated.

“Guests who stayed at the hotel within the two weeks prior to the Cease-and-Desist Order are encouraged by VI authorities to monitor their health and report any potential symptoms to their healthcare provider,” said Harry Pena, President of Zimmetry Environmental. “This is important as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warns that close to 1 in 10 people who get Legionnaires’ disease will die from the infection.”

Legionella can be found naturally in the environment, usually in water. It grows best in warm water, like the kind found in hot tubs, cooling towers, hot water tanks, decorative fountains, and some plumbing systems. To help in these types of situations, Zimmetry Environmental provides testing, monitoring, consulting, and training services to identify exposure risks . They operate out of Puerto Rico and service the Virgin Islands and other locations throughout the Caribbean. These resources are a vital part of a proactive plan to prevent new cases of this deadly disease or to quicker detect the source of infections if they have already occurred.

Several years ago, Zimmetry sponsored an educational video about Legionella and monitoring building water systems that can still be seen at: https://youtu.be/F_Ggg_uaL_s

To learn more about Legionella or other water, air, environmental, occupational, compliance, and consulting services, please visit www.zimmetry.com, call (787) 995.0005, or email info@zimmetry.com.

About Zimmetry Environmental
Since 2002, Zimmetry Environmental has been providing environmental consulting services to building owners and managers, architects, engineers, EHS professionals, and Fortune 500 companies. The company is based in Puerto Rico and provides services across the Caribbean and Central America. The professionals at Zimmetry offer environmental compliance, indoor air quality, asbestos, lead-based paint, Phase I ESAs, and general environmental consulting services.

Contact Information

Paul Cochrane

President

Cochrane & Associates, LLC

Contact via E-mail