Another state fair linked to Legionnaires’ outbreak – this time in Texas, officials say

Texas health officials have confirmed seven people infected with Legionnaires’ disease, and they’re linking it to a state fair.

It’s the second state fair in the United States linked to an outbreak of the potentially fatal disease this year.

Northeast Texas Public Health District officials said there could be five more cases in addition to those already confirmed, according to a Friday news release. The health district is investigating whether the cases are linked to the East Texas State Fair in Tyler from Sept. 20-29.

Officials said everyone who’s sick went to the fair, which had an estimated attendance of 257,000 people, the Tyler Morning Telegraph reported.

Legionnaires’ is caused by Legionella bacteria spread through water droplets in the air, officials say. Its symptoms include cough, high fever, weakness, muscle aches, headaches, and shortness of breath. The disease is treated with antibiotics. According to the health district, 1 in 10 people who get the disease will die.

Investigators are testing water at the fairgrounds to find the source, East Texas State Fair President and CEO John Sykes told KLTV.

“I don’t like to speculate. We’ve got to find the source. This is a real surprise to us,” Sykes told the Tyler Morning Telegraph.

In North Carolina, an outbreak of Legionnaires’ that killed four people was traced to a hot tub display at a state fair, the Charlotte Observer reported. The outbreak at the NC Mountain State Fair also infected more than 140 people, the McClatchy newspaper reported.

Northeast Texas Public Health District is urging people with symptoms of the disease who attended the fair to meet with their doctor.

This story was originally published November 1, 2019 at 1:57 PM with the headline "Another state fair linked to Legionnaires’ outbreak – this time in Texas, officials say."