RALEIGH, N.C. — North Carolina health officials say hot tub displays inside a building at a fair are likely to blame for an outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease last month.
[ [ALSO READ: 1 dead, several sick from Legionnaires' disease may have attended fair] ]
The N.C. Department of Health and Human Services said on its webpage Thursday that early findings show that people diagnosed with the disease likely visited the Davis Event Center at the Mountain State Fair last month and walked by the hot tub displays.
Confirmed cases in NC from the NC Department of Health and Human Services currently include:
- Buncombe County: 49
- Burke County: 2
- Cherokee County: 1
- Gaston County: 1
- Granville County: 1
- Haywood County: 10
- Henderson County: 33
- Jackson County: 1
- Madison County: 6
- McDowell County: 3
- Mecklenburg County: 3
- Mitchell County: 2
- Polk County: 1
- Rutherford County: 2
- Transylvania County: 3
- Union County: 1
- Watauga County: 1
- Yancey County: 1
According to the department, early results from laboratory testing of environmental samples identified Legionella bacteria in one water sample taken from the event center. Results are still pending from other samples taken in the investigation.
The department says 128 cases of Legionnaires’ disease and Pontiac fever had been reported as of Wednesday.
To check the current numbers of the outbreak of Legionnaires' disease, click here.