Florida health officials are reporting a recent increase in infections from Legionella, the bacteria causing the potentially deadly Legionnaires\u2019 disease, in Orange County as two patients say clinicians informed them of an outbreak possibly linked to a local gym.<\/p>\n
State health data shows Orange County has had 59 confirmed cases of Legionellosis in 2025, including 11 in the first three weeks of November, compared to 48 in 2024. The Orlando Sentinel obtained an alert the state health department sent to clinicians about the recent increase in the disease, described by<\/a> the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or CDC, as\u00a0\u201ca serious pneumonia.\u201d<\/p>\n While local and state officials would not provide additional details of the Orange County cases, a 45-year-old woman from Ocoee who works out with her husband at Crunch Fitness on Silver Star Road several times a week told the Sentinel she was admitted for four days at Orlando Health\u2019s Health Central hospital during the weekend before Thanksgiving.<\/p>\n Her admission was prompted by a fever of 105.<\/p>\n The woman, who asked not to be identified by name, said a CT scan revealed pneumonia in both her lungs. She said hospital staff told her they suspected she had Legionnaires\u2019 because they had seen seven other patients with the condition who had recently worked out at the same gym.<\/p>\n She said she uses the weight machines and ellipticals at Crunch, but has never set foot in the fitness center\u2019s pool or sauna.<\/p>\n The bacteria is not transmitted person-to-person but may be transmitted by airborne water particles, researchers say.<\/p>\n Another gym patron, interviewed by WFTV<\/a>, said she, too, ended up in the hospital with a diagnosis of Legionnaires\u2019 disease<\/p>\n Spokespersons for Orlando Health and Crunch Fitness both referred specific questions to the Florida Department of Health.<\/p>\n In an email reply, Kent Donahue said the state health agency \u201ccannot comment on ongoing epidemiological investigations.\u201d<\/p>\n The state agency previously provided details in 2017<\/a> when an outbreak of Legionnaires affecting at least three people\u00a0was reported at the same Ocoee location, then operating as LA Fitness. The gym followed health department recommendations to decontaminate its hot tub and change out shower heads.<\/p>\n According to WFTV, Crunch Fitness officials said they spent over $5 million renovating and remodeling the fitness center, including its heating and air-conditioning and aquatic systems, prior to opening the site in 2024.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are committed to maintaining a safe environment for our members,\u201d said Kendall Lanese, chief marketing officer for CR Fitness Holdings LLC, a franchisee for Crunch Fitness, in an email reply to questions from the Sentinel. \u201cAny previous incidents, including one in 2017, occurred under the prior operator, as we did not take over management of location until January of 2024.\u201d<\/p>\n Legionnaires\u2019 disease<\/a> is a lung infection caused by the bacterium Legionella first identified after a 1976 outbreak of pneumonia at an American Legion Convention in Philadelphia that provided its odd moniker. In that outbreak, 182 cases were reported and 29 people died.<\/p>\n Most affected persons experience symptoms \u2014 which can include a cough, shortness of breath and high fever \u2014 about five to six days after exposure. However, the risk of serious impacts is considered low for most people.<\/p>\n About 6,000 Legionnaires\u2019 disease cases are reported each year in the United States, according to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration<\/a>, a division of the U.S. Department of Labor. \u201cHowever,\u201d the agency notes, \u201cscientists believe the reported totals are much lower than the actual cases due in part to the difficulty in distinguishing Legionnaires\u2019 disease from other types of pneumonia.\u201d<\/p>\n An outbreak sickened 60 people in August in New York City, and three people died.<\/p>\n The New York Times reported city health officials believe people most likely became ill after breathing in bacteria sprayed from cooling towers that help regulate building temperatures. Screenings of 11 cooling towers in the area were positive for the bacteria that cause the disease.<\/p>\n