UW Hospital now has 11 cases of Legionnaires' disease

Eleven patients at UW Hospital have developed Legionnaires’ disease, apparently from the hospital’s hot water system, and four of them remain in the hospital, officials said Friday.

Six patients have been discharged or treated at outpatient facilities. One died, as officials said last week, when the outbreak was announced and the reported tally of cases was five.

The patient who died had been hospitalized for multiple, severe health problems and the death was not unexpected, spokeswoman Lisa Brunette said last week.

The additional cases identified this week also were not a surprise, and more could be found before Wednesday, officials said. That is the end of the incubation period for the bacteria, which are typically present in low concentrations in tap water and at high levels can cause potentially fatal pneumonia.

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