Legionnaires' deaths probed in Vernon Hills

Public health authorities are investigating two deaths tied to Legionnaires' disease at a retirement community in Vernon Hills, officials said.

"We're taking every precaution and doing everything we can," said Jane Woloson, executive director at the Park at Vernon Hills.

There are four laboratory-confirmed cases of the bacterial disease, seven probable cases, and several more cases of pneumonia, said Leslie Piotrowski, a spokeswoman for the Lake County Health Department.

The two fatalities related to Legionnaires had other underlying medical conditions. One person died of pneumonia and the second person died of a pneumonia-like illness. Two people were in their 80s. The first death happened in September and the other last week, officials said.

The department has targeted the Park's rainforest atrium as a possible source of the bacteria. The Park has shut it down, Piotrowski said. Legionnaires' disease is a bacterial pneumonia that is spread by inhaling aerosols or mists of water containing the bacteria.

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