Following the recent Legionnaires’ disease outbreak at Disneyland in Anaheim, California, we are actively representing a seriously injured Disney patron, are currently in contact with the Orange County Health Care Agency, and are continuing to gather critical information about the exposure.
If you or a loved one has been exposed to Legionnaires at Disneyland, please do not hesitate to contact our office to speak to an experienced attorney and better understand your options.
According to reports from multiple news organizations, including the Los Angeles Times, there has been a Legionnaires’ disease outbreak at Disneyland in Anaheim (Orange County), California.
As of this writing, the latest reports, from CNN and others have stated that at least 12 people have been hospitalized.
The source of the legionella bacteria which causes Legionnaires disease is believed to be two cooling towers, which have since been shut down. The towers in question were located near the New Orleans Square Train Station in a backstage area.
It can take anywhere from a couple of days to a couple of weeks for symptoms to being to appear when someone has contracted the disease.
According to the L.A. Times:
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention notified county authorities about three weeks ago of several cases of the disease among people who had traveled to Orange County in September. County epidemiologists discovered that a cluster of people diagnosed with the disease had recently visited, lived or worked in Anaheim and contacted Disney after learning that several of them had gone to the theme park.
According to the health agency, on Nov. 3 Disney reported that routine testing had detected elevated levels of Legionella in two cooling towers a month earlier, and the towers had been disinfected. Disney took the towers out of service on Nov. 1, performed more testing and disinfection, and brought them back into service on Nov. 5.
Disney took the towers out of service again on Tuesday in advance of an order the health agency issued the following day requiring they remain down until test results verify they are free from Legionella contamination.
The towers had been turned off on Nov. 1 before Disney learned that Legionella had been detected, Disneyland Resort spokeswoman Suzi Brown said. “The only reason they were turned back on was as part of the further disinfection process.”
The county health agency has also alerted healthcare providers to look for Legionnaires’ disease in anyone who may have become ill after visiting Anaheim or Disneyland before Nov. 7.
