The Oakland County Sheriff's Office administration building in Pontiac has been temporarily closed through the weekend after tests found Legionella bacteria. The bacteria can cause Legionnaires’ disease, a serious type of pneumonia. The closure follows a custodial employee being diagnosed with the disease and the bacteria being found in several water samples, according to CBS News Detroit.
About 200 employees at the closed Building 38E, which includes the sheriff, undersheriff, detective bureau, and crime lab, began working remotely on Friday after Legionella bacteria was found. The building is not open to the public, so public risk is low. Kate Guzman, County Health Officer, said steps are being taken to address the bacteria. Dr. Teena Chopra, medical director at the Detroit Medical Center, said, "It can be a severe infection, and it starts off with a fever, headache very similar to flu-like symptoms, but can also cause diarrhea," and it affects high-risk people more seriously. Legionella spreads through contaminated water droplets, and Chopra said, "If people are there in the building, and they are inhaling the same water droplets from the contaminated water system – whether it is a cooling tower or even in hot tubs or air-conditioning – then people can get it," as reported by Detroit Free Press. Anyone who has been in the building and has flu-like or pneumonia-like symptoms should seek medical care and inform healthcare providers of possible exposure.
Oakland County’s facilities management department has taken steps to remove Legionella bacteria and will continue testing. This follows a case last April of a visitor to the county circuit court who tested positive for Legionnaires’ disease. For questions or more information, the public can contact the Oakland Connects Helpline.
