Patients have been canceling appointments at Chillicothe, Ohio-based Adena Regional Medical Center over rumors and concerns about a Legionnaires' disease outbreak, which the health system has since described as "misinformation."
"Adena recently tested, reported, and treated positive Legionella cases, but all cases are considered to be community-acquired, not hospital-acquired," a statement on the health system's website reads. "As of August 28, the Ross County Health District has reported no presumptive health care-associated cases of Legionnaires’ disease in Ross County residents in 2023."
An outbreak of Legionnaires' is defined as "two or more cases in a year coming from the same source," the Chillicothe Gazette reported Sept. 1. Not only are there no outbreaks at any of Adena Health's medical facilities, but Ross County, where Adena Regional Medical Center is located, has not seen any Legionnaires' outbreaks within the last decade, according to the Gazette.
"When an Adena laboratory result is positive for Legionella, the result is automatically uploaded to the Ohio Department of Health’s Disease Reporting System, as well as the county of residence health department," the health system's statement explains. "A full investigation is conducted for all positive results by the Ohio Department of Health."