10 cases of Legionnaires' disease diagnosed at San Antonio hospital; 3 fatal

(AP) Ten cases of Legionnaires' disease have been diagnosed among patients and visitors at a San Antonio hospital, and health officials suspect the facility is the source of the outbreak.

Among those diagnosed at North Central Baptist Hospital, three have died. But health officials said they already were ill and they didn't know how much of a factor Legionnaire's disease played in the deaths.

Six have been treated and released. One remains in the hospital.

Karen May, spokeswoman for Baptist Health System, confirmed Wednesday the 10th diagnosis of the disease, a rare form of pneumonia, but wouldn't elaborate, citing privacy rules.

May said that based on the disease's incubation period of two to 10 days, "It wouldn't be surprising or unusual for additional patients to be diagnosed."

The San Antonio Metropolitan Health District is investigating, said epidemiologist Cherise Rohr-Allegrini. The health district suspects all 10 people, five of whom were visitors to the hospital and five of whom were patients, acquired it at the hospital.

A fourth person died after being diagnosed with Legionnaires' disease but that death is not believed to be related to the outbreak linked to North Central Baptist, Rohr-Allegrini said.

Legionnaires' disease is caused by a bacterium most often found in sources of standing water. People can contract the disease by breathing vapor from a contaminated water source.

Between 8,000 and 18,000 people are hospitalized with Legionnaires' disease in the U.S. each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The disease takes its name from an outbreak at the Pennsylvania American Legion convention held in Philadelphia in July 1976 where 34 people died.