Recent tests have detected the presence of Legionella in the water system at Wake Forest Baptist Health Lexington (N.C.) Medical Center, according to The Dispatch.
Legionella can cause Legionnaire's disease if an immunocompromised person breathes in water contaminated with the bacteria. Since the test, the hospital "has eliminated the risk of infection by prohibiting the use of any device that aerosolizes water," Jessica Wells, MD, an infectious disease physician with the system, told The Dispatch.
The hospital placed out-of-order signs at water fountains and asked patients not to shower until filters can be installed. The hospital is also installing an ionization system in the hospital's water system.
No known patients have contracted Legionnaire's disease, according to the report, and officials from the health system say the water is safe for hand-washing and to drink.
"We don't expect any reported case of the disease," Lillian Koontz, director of the county health department, told The Dispatch. "They got out in front of this before anyone got sick."