Inmate at Rockview state prison hospitalized with Legionnaires’ disease
A Rockview state prison inmate was hospitalized Saturday after testing positive for a respiratory disease spread by inhaling droplets of water contaminated with bacteria, the state Department of Corrections wrote in a statement Thursday.
The inmate who tested positive for Legionnaires’ disease was hospitalized Saturday for a high fever, DOC spokesman Ryan Tarkowski wrote in an email. He is still recovering, Tarkowski wrote.
The department did not release the inmate’s age. The average age of inmates at the all-male prison is 44. Most healthy people exposed to the bacteria do not get sick, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.
People at increased risk of getting sick include those age 50 and older, current or former smokers, people with chronic lung disease or weak immune systems and those cancer or underlying illnesses. The disease can be treated with antibiotics.
The prison’s water systems are tested regularly, Tarkowski wrote.
A test of the prison’s operating steam boiler and cooling towers conducted last week showed all chemicals were at the level necessary to prevent the development of the bacteria, Tarkowski wrote.
Bacterial testing conducted at the beginning of April indicated an absence of bacteria, Tarkowski wrote. Air-conditioning units for large buildings, hot tubs and decorative fountains are common sources of infection.
Showers and water fountains on the affected unit were shut off until additional testing is completed. Inmates are being offered bottled water. They were notified of the positive test in a memo from Superintendent Bobbi Jo Salamon dated Tuesday.
Pennsylvania Prison Society volunteer director John Hargreaves said the nonprofit has received anecdotal reports of other inmates having diarrhea and stomach pain.
One other inmate was treated at a hospital for “an unrelated issue” and was tested as a precaution, Tarkowski wrote. Results are pending.
Hargreaves said the prison society has not been able to ascertain who tests the prison’s water supply. He wondered aloud if the prison is testing its own water or if the tests are being carried out by an independent organization.
Tarkowski wrote testing is completed by a private vendor.
There were 1,962 people incarcerated at the prison as of the end of March. The prison has 715 full-time employees.
Symptoms, which start two to 14 days after exposure, can include a cough, shortness of breath, fever, muscle aches and headache.
This story was originally published May 4, 2023 at 12:47 PM.