Experts in disease prevention criticized Baltimore ‘s and Maryland’s response to Legionella bacteria found in public buildings across the city and state.

“Rather than continuing to take a wait-a[nd]-see approach to where the bacteria will turn up next, Maryland officials should put policies in place to prevent this disease, which can be deadly for one in ten who contract it,” the Alliance to Prevent Legionnaires’ Disease said in a statement released earlier this month, citing Legionella discovered at Spring Grove Hospital Center in Catonsville, first reported by The Baltimore Sun.

The rebuke follows a series of Legionella concerns across Baltimore and Maryland.

The state has experienced a spate of positive Legionella tests and even one infection. Last month, a man incarcerated at Dorsey Run Correctional Facility in Jessup contracted Legionnaires’ disease but has since recovered.

And late Friday, a week after the group issued its rebuke, precautionary testing in three Baltimore courthouses — Baltimore City District Courthouse, Clarence M. Mitchell Jr. Courthouse, and Elijah E. Cummings Courthouse — revealed elevated levels of Legionella bacteria for the second time in two months. Elevated levels were also detected at the courthouses in December. The city said it plans to conduct flushing and chlorination treatments and install mechanical water management systems to prevent bacterial growth.

Elevated levels of Legionella bacteria were also found in December in City Hall, the Abel Wolman Municipal Building and the Benton Building. Officials closed the city buildings for treatment at the time, and reopened them later.

The alliance recommended the state look at a recently enacted law in New Jersey, which it said provides “source-to-tap policy for effective water management.”

New Jersey’s law, enacted last year, creates standards for both public water distribution systems and many large buildings, where Legionella can thrive.

Under New Jersey law, institutions including hospitals and correctional facilities are now required to create water management plans consistent with standards developed by the American Society of Heating, Refrigeration, and Air Conditioning Engineers or comparable organizations.

Maryland legislators and cities in the state should take note of that strategy, the group said.

“States like Maryland must take a proactive approach and this is especially true in the mid-Atlantic and Northeastern parts of the U.S., which are home to the oldest water systems in the country,” Dr. Hung Cheung, a member of the board of the Alliance who has served on the Maryland Governor’s Task Force on Indoor Air Quality, said in the statement.

Buildings that use cooling towers, which are commonly used for large HVAC systems, are also covered by the regulations.

There are no existing Maryland statutes that regulate Legionella specifically, but infections caused by Legionella are required to be reported to the health department under the Code of Maryland Regulations.

The first known outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease was in Philadelphia in 1976, when members of the American Legion contracted the disease during a convention. During that outbreak, 182 people became ill and 29 died.

Now, it is believed the cooling towers for the hotel’s air conditioning had been colonized by Legionella bacteria, which likely spread contaminated aerosols and mist throughout the hotel, according to PBS News.

Dr. Cheung did not immediately respond to additional requests for comment Friday.

“If we want to truly reduce incidence of Legionnaires’ Disease, then we need to focus on prevention efforts to include the water supply and the system delivering water to our homes and offices for human use,” he said in the group’s statement.

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