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Pittsburgh VA Medical Center employee hospitalized with Legionnaires’ disease, according to daughter
WTAE • • health
Key Points:
- Marvin Jones, a 68-year-old longtime employee at the Pittsburgh VA Medical Center, was hospitalized with severe Legionnaires’ disease and placed in a medically induced coma on a ventilator at UPMC East.
- Jones, an Army veteran with diabetes but otherwise healthy, has required dialysis every other day since his hospitalization, which began last Tuesday.
- Legionnaires’ disease, caused by inhaling Legionella bacteria from contaminated water, can lead to severe pneumonia but is treatable with antibiotics, according to infectious disease expert Dr. Amesh Adalja.
- The Pittsburgh VA Medical Center confirmed two Legionella-positive patients in May and treated its water lines, but Jones' daughter believes her father contracted the illness at work and calls for accountability.
- The incident recalls a 2011 outbreak at the Pittsburgh VA where at least six patients died and over 20 were sickened by Legionnaires’ disease, highlighting ongoing concerns about water safety at the facility.
