Patient dies of Legionnaire’s at Pittsburgh VA
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PITTSBURGH (AP) — The county health department says a patient has died of Legionnaire’s disease at one of Pittsburgh’s Veterans Affairs hospitals.
Dr. Ron Voorhees, acting director of the Allegheny County Health Department, tells the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review the patient was one of five identified earlier this month as suffering from the waterborne bacterial pneumonia.
Voorhees says he can’t disclose the patient’s name or when the patient died due to federal privacy laws.
VA spokesman Dave Cowgill has declined comment, also citing privacy laws.
Cowgill had previously said four patients tested positive for the disease and recovered before acknowledging a fifth patient became sick last week.
The VA earlier announced Friday that it had just lifted water use restrictions at its University Drive hospital, where all five patients became sick. The hospital is now using an improved water purification system.