A deadly hot tub bacteria outbreak in New Hampshire has left one dead and another hospitalized.
The patients fell ill with Legionnaires disease and suffered severe pneumonia after staying at the $200-per-night Mountain View Grand Resort and Spa in the state’s north.
Both had taken a dip in the hot tub, one as late as last month, with swabs confirming its waters were contaminated with the bacteria behind the disease.
Among the patients was Barbara Kruschwitz, 71, who died just a week after returning home to Massachusetts and being diagnosed with the infection.
Officials say the hot tub was the likely source of the outbreak, and that it has now been drained and closed to the public to minimize the risk of any further infections.
The discovery was revealed just days before the state votes in the Republican primary election tonight.
The bacteria behind Legionnaires disease was detected in the hot tub at the Mountain View Grand Resort and Spa in Whitefield, in the north of the state
Barbara Kruschwitz, 71, of Merrimac, Massachusetts, had stayed at the Mountain View Grand Resort & Spa in Whitfield, New Hampshire, in early October. A week after her visit, she was hospitalized with the deadly infection and died on October 10
A spokesman for the local health department said: ‘[We] have conducted initial testing, which found that Legionella bacteria was present in the resort hot tub.
‘At this point in the investigation, the Department believes the hot tub may have been the source of Legionella exposure for the two individuals.’
They added: ‘The resort’s hot tub remains closed and poses no threat to the public.’
Testing of water in the hotel’s two swimming pools and coming from the taps returned negative results for the deadly bacteria. No other sources of Legionella at the hotel have been detected
Legionnaires disease is caused by the bacteria Legionella, which can thrive in water supplies — particularly hot ones.
People can become infected by breathing in water droplets or vapor from contaminated water, with the bacteria infecting their lungs.
Patients may start to suffer from a fever, headache and lethargy within two weeks of infection, which then gradually progresses to pneumonia or other complications.
About 10 percent of people who get sick with Legionnaires’ disease will die due to complications from their illness, but in people with weakened immune systems, the death rate can be as high as 30 percent.
Doctors will normally attempt to battle the infection with antibiotics.
The hotel also has two swimming pools, which have also been tested for the bacteria behind Legionnaires disease – although these results were returned negative
The above shows a bathroom inside a room at the resort and spa, where a room costs $200-per-night
It was not clear how the bacteria got into the hot tub, but it is known to naturally thrive in freshwater — and could then be carried into a hot tub by bathers.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends hot tub water has its chlorine levels tested regularly in order to avoid an outbreak.
The patient who died, a 71-year-old woman from Massachusetts, was named as Barbara Kruschwitz.
The second patient has not been named, but is known to have visited the hot tub from Rhode Island last month.
No further cases have been detected in the outbreak to date.
The local department of health revealed the connection with the hot tub a week before the New Hampshire primary, which is set to take place this week.
Mrs Kruschwitz stayed at the Mountain View Grand Resort & Spa in Whitfield in early October.
But a week after her visit, she was hospitalized with the deadly infection and died on October 10.
Her grief-stricken husband, Henry Kruschwitz, told local affiliate ABC5 News that his wife swam in the pool and used the hot tub.
He believes the bacteria may have spread through the water aerosols which attributed to her passing.
He told WMUR that his wife’s ‘heart had stopped and she couldn’t be revived.’
Dr. Benjamin Chan, an epidemiologist with The New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services, told the news outlet said the guests who came down with the infection had no connection.
‘They were they were at the resort at different times, in fact, different months and staying in different rooms.’
He added: ‘Both of them were older adults and both of them were hospitalized for their infection, which oftentimes is the case with Legionnaires’ disease.’
And shown above is one of the lobbies in the resort, where many campaigners may be staying ahead of the primaries
A representative for the hotel told DailyMail.com: ‘Tests conducted by New Hampshire Division of Public Health Services detected a trace level of Legionella bacteria in the property’s hot tub filter.
‘It is unclear at this time, and may never be known, if the trace amounts of Legionella were of the same bacterium that led to the illness of two former guests.
‘The indoor hot tub, when operational, was a self-contained system and the trace amount of Legionella was isolated from the rest of the property.’
They added: ‘Out of an abundance of caution, the property immediately drained, closed, and eliminated the hot tub and there are no plans to re-open it.
‘Mountain View will continue to work closely with the DPHS to ensure the health and safety of our guests.’
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