ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Thursday, December 19, 1996 TAG: 9612190076
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-2 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: MARK CLOTHIER STAFF WRITER
A Christiansburg man, in critical condition with Legionnaires' disease since Oct. 21, died Wednesday at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Salem.
Eddie R. Bartee, 55, is the second fatality from the New River Valley's October outbreak that sickened at least 14 others from Sept. 28 through Oct.18. A 50-year-old Pearisburg man died Oct. 27. The remaining patients are out of the hospital and doing well.
By Nov. 14, health department investigators traced the source of the outbreak to a hot tub display that sat in one of the main aisles of the Christiansburg Lowe's home improvement store. The tub has been removed. The North Carolina-based company now keeps all its in-store tubs dry.
Of the 16 reported Legionnaires' patients in the state's first outbreak, 11 were Montgomery County residents; two lived in Radford; and one each lived in Floyd, Giles and Pulaski counties. The patients' ages ranged from 42 to 86, with an average age of 68. Fourteen of the 16 patients were male.
Legionnaires' is a form of pneumonia often linked to air-cooling systems. It is not contagious. The bacterium, which can be found anywhere, typically attacks people older than 60 and those with weakened immune systems.
Most of the confirmed New River Valley cases fit the profile of middle-aged to older men who smoke and have medical conditions such as diabetes, cancer, lung or kidney disease.
From 0.5 percent to 5 percent of all pneumonia cases are caused by Legionella, the bacterium that causes Legionnaires'. For every 100,000 cases of Legionella infection, six require hospitalization. Once hospitalized, the patient fatality rate has been as high as 39 percent.
Virginia averages about 15 Legionnaires' cases each year. Last year, 28 were reported, but health officials believe the disease is vastly underreported.
LENGTH: Short : 43 lines KEYWORDS: FATALITYby CNB