Tests for legionella, a naturally occurring bacteria that can cause upper respiratory illnesses, will continue at Oakland County\u2019s circuit courthouse until at least April.<\/p>\n
Initial test results showed the bacteria at four of 11 sites tested in the courthouse at 1200 N. Telegraph Road in Pontiac: Two men\u2019s restrooms, on the first and third floors, and two cafeteria sinks that are not publicly accessible.<\/p>\n
The ongoing tests are not part of a routine process, according to county administration spokesman Bill Mullan.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis re-testing is being conducted in accordance with CDC guidance and Michigan Department of Health and Human Services requirements,\u201d he said, adding that the testing timeline, which will continue until at least April, is part of the state-required standard response to confirm that remediation efforts are working.<\/p>\n
Legionella causes a type of pneumonia called Legionnaires\u2019 disease or a less-serious respiratory illness called Pontiac fever. The illnesses are transmitted when people inhale mist with bacteria, but a person with Legionnaire\u2019s disease can\u2019t infect another person.<\/p>\n
Some employees were upset that county officials were aware of the positive test results two days before Christmas but did not notify them until Friday, Dec. 26. The courthouse was closed Dec. 24 and 25. The courthouse also holds the commissioners auditorium and offices and county\u2019s prosecuting attorneys, clerk\u2019s and treasurer\u2019s offices among other departments. The sheriff\u2019s administration building was closed from late Dec. 5 through the morning of Dec. 9 after a custodian fell ill with Legionnaire\u2019s disease and tests showed six of 12 faucets were positive for legionella.<\/p>\n
The cafeteria in the courthouse\u2019s basement is typically open to the public but was closed until Jan. 5.<\/p>\n
Mullan said the county did not have remediation equipment or water-quality consultants after the positive tests results at the sheriff\u2019s administration building.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs a precaution, the decision was made to temporarily close the building to allow for flushing (the water lines), testing and installation of filters,\u201d he said. \u201cBy the time positive results were identified in the courthouse, those resources and protocols were already in place, allowing remediation work to proceed without closing the building.\u201d<\/p>\n
He said the sheriff\u2019s building is open nearly constantly and the plumbing includes showers and kitchenettes. County health department officials advised the administration that using the courthouse restrooms, sinks and water fountains were considered low-risk activities.<\/p>\n
One person who visited the courthouse in April was later diagnosed with Legionnaire\u2019s disease, but that person may have been exposed elsewhere, according to county officials, so their illness has not been attributed to a courthouse exposure.<\/p>\n
Deputy Jason Marshall, president of the Oakland County Sheriff\u2019s Deputy Association, which represents deputies during contract negotiations, said he thinks the administration is taking appropriate action and has heard no complaints from deputies. Dozens of deputies work in the courthouse at entry points, in courtrooms and during commission meetings.<\/p>\n
County Commissioner Bob Hoffman said that while he had some concerns about legionella, he\u2019s glad the tests identified the bacteria and the county has acted to flush the courthouse water system and add filters where needed.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have to take every precaution there is to protect the employees and the public,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
The county\u2019s facilities management officials are working with a water-quality consultant to develop a water-management plant that will be implemented later this year, he said.<\/p>\n
The county\u2019s executive building, at 2100 Pontiac Lake Road in Waterford Township, just west of the main campus on North Telegraph Road, has not yet been tested, he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cTesting has been prioritized based on investigative findings and public health guidance,\u201d Mullan said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Tests for legionella, a naturally occurring bacteria that can cause upper respiratory illnesses, will continue at Oakland County\u2019s…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":109960,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[34],"tags":[47285,47284,143,64207,64208,145,144],"class_list":{"0":"post-122452","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-oakland","8":"tag-legionella","9":"tag-legionnaires-disease","10":"tag-oakland","11":"tag-oakland-county-legionnaires-disease","12":"tag-oakland-county-sheriffs-oakland-county-courthouse","13":"tag-oakland-headlines","14":"tag-oakland-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/122452","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=122452"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/122452\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/109960"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=122452"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=122452"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=122452"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}