© 2024 WNIJ and WNIU
Northern Public Radio
801 N 1st St.
DeKalb, IL 60115
815-753-9000
Northern Public Radio
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

New Shower Heads Installed At Illinois Veterans' Home To Prevent Legionnaires' Disease

CDC

It cost thousands of dollars to address Legionnaires’ disease at the LaSalle Veterans' Home.

Last fall, there were more than a dozen cases of respiratory illness at the facility. Of those tested, one case was positive for Legionnaires' disease. The 97-year-old resident had multiple underlying issues.

A spokesman for the Illinois Department of Veterans’ Affairs says it cost $35,000 to replace shower heads and install a bypass valve to allow thermal disinfection of the cold water line.

The home also increased the flushing of its water system.

The spokesman says there have been no other cases since last year.

Correction: A previous version of this story incorrectly stated there were more than a dozen cases of the respiratory illness. There were several cases of respiratory illness, but only one case of Legionnaires' disease at the LaSalle facility.

Jenna Dooley has spent her professional career in public radio. She is a graduate of Northern Illinois University and the Public Affairs Reporting Program at the University of Illinois - Springfield. She returned to Northern Public Radio in DeKalb after several years hosting Morning Edition at WUIS-FM in Springfield. She is a former "Newsfinder of the Year" from the Illinois Associated Press and recipient of NIU's Donald R. Grubb Journalism Alumni Award. She is an active member of the Illinois News Broadcasters Association and an adjunct instructor at NIU.