Four residents of Batavia, Ill.-based Covenant Living at the Holmstad have been hospitalized with Legionnaires' disease, according to Patch.
The Kane County Health Department is investigating the cases and testing for Legionella bacteria to identify the source of the outbreak, said Barbara Jeffers, the department's executive director, in an Aug. 31 news release. "Covenant Living is working closely with public health officials," she said.
There have been 251 confirmed Legionnaires' cases in Illinois this year, health officials say.
"Our prayers are with these individuals and their families at this time," Covenant Living said in an emailed statement to Becker's. "All of our residents and employees have been notified about the situation... We are taking precautionary steps as recommended by the Kane County Health Department and the Illinois Department of Public Health, such as collection and testing of samples to determine how and where Legionella bacteria may have originated and how the infected persons became exposed."
Editor's note: This article was updated Sept. 3 at 2:25 p.m. with additional information.