Ohio hospital reports 7 patients got Legionnaire's disease

DAYTON, Ohio (AP) — An Ohio hospital that previously said four patients had come down with Legionnaire’s disease has raised the number to seven, including a man who has died.

The Dayton Daily News reports Miami Valley Hospital says the bacteria did not cause the patient in his 70s to die. Citing privacy issues, the hospital declined to say whether Legionnaire’s contributed to the man’s death on Feb. 21.

Legionnaire’s is a potentially deadly form of pneumonia caused by bacteria in water.

The hospital in Dayton announced the first four cases last week. On Tuesday it said there were two more patients with the disease; Wednesday it said there was one other.

Hospital officials are awaiting test results on their suspicion the bacteria may be coming from plumbing in the facility’s new patient tower.