ALTAMONTE SPRINGS, Fla. – People who have stayed at the Springhill Suites by Marriott in Altamonte Springs are being notified about a Legionnaire's disease outbreak possibly linked to that hotel.
[WEB EXTRA: Read hotel alert | Symptoms, info on Legionnaire's disease ]
Three people who stayed at the hotel off Interstate 4 and SR 436 have been diagnosed. The most recent case was in April. The cases were reported to the CDC which then notified the Seminole County Health Department. The health department has obtained a list of all people who have stayed the hotel since last September, which is in the thousands, and is now working to notify each guest about the outbreak.
"A lot of people are from out of state so sometimes it takes awhile before they actually report it to their doc(tor) and actually get tested," said Dr. Swannie Jett, Health Officer with the Seminole County Health Department.
The purpose of the notification is to alert the hotel guests to the symptoms and urging them to see a doctor if feeling pneumonia-like symptoms. The disease can be deadly for anyone with a weak immune system.
"Several factors could have been involved. One of the things we try to work with is on the hot water systems at the hotel, any type of water treatment that needs to be done," said Dr. Jett.
The health department is still investigating the source and says it could have been a hot tub, the air conditioning system, a bathtub or any kind of manmade water system. The water systems at the hotel have since been sanitized through a shock treatment and have been cleared to remain open.
Hotel management released a statement about the outbreak, stating, "Though all subsequent tests of possible sources within the hotel have come back negative, the safety and security of our guests and employees is of the utmost importance."
The three people diagnosed are being treated and the health department is still investigating, while also looking to see if anyone else who stayed there became ill.