Cheap fares and great deals on high end discount hotel rooms are quickly forgotten when travelers are faced with Legionnaires Disease
Three guests of the luxury EPIC Hotel in downtown Miami all experienced the same serious type of pneumonia in the last three months. One of these guests has died and has been diagnosed as suffering from Legionnaires disease. The Miami-Dade Health Department issued an advisory to EPIC Hotel guests on Friday suggesting that they relocate.
About 400 guests have since moved. The problem, according to health officials, is believed to be the hotels water. An investigation determined that the hotel had installed a water filter strong enough to take out chlorine from Miami city water, which in turn encouraged bacterial growth.
Legionnaires disease is a serious and occasionally fatal form of pneumonia. It is a bacterial infection that can be acquired from contaminated water, not from person to person contact. According to the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) people can become infected by breathing mist or vapor contaminated with the bacteria.
The hotel is planning on making changes to its water system so that incoming city water does not go through the filter. Health officials will then triple the chlorine levels to arrest bacterial growth.