CHAMPAIGN — There have been five cases of Legionnaires’ disease in Champaign County this year, three of them in July and August, according to the Champaign-Urbana Public Health District.
There hasn’t been a common link established among the five cases, said health district epidemiologist Awais Vaid.
One of the local persons who became ill with Legionnaires’ has underlying health conditions, Vaid said. Certain conditions leave people more vulnerable to serious lung infections and other symptoms that can develop from Legionella bacteria.
This year’s cases occurred in the wake of eight in Champaign County last year, four of which were linked to a decorative water fountain at Champaign’s First Christian Church, according to public health data.