ByĀ abc7chicago.com
A federal report obtained by The Associated Press shows that the Legionnaire’s disease outbreak that killed 12 residents of an Illinois state veterans home this summer and sickened dozens was likely spread by an aging water system at a 129-year-old facility that lacked several safeguards.
The Centers for Disease Control report was released to the AP through a public records request.
CDC environmental health specialists who spent nearly two weeks at the Illinois Veterans Home in Quincy in late August and September cited an “extensive and poorly understood water distribution system” and a “general lack of understanding of water system details” pertinent to the prevent and control” of the Legionella bacteria that causes the severe form of pneumonia.
Already, the state is pursuing a $4.8 million project to replace the water system and make other emergency repairs at Illinois’ oldest and largest home for veterans and their spouses, which sits along the Mississippi River in the far western part of the state. Officials with the Illinois Department of Veterans Affairs did not immediately respond to a request for comment Thursday.
Asked if earlier detection of the problems could have lessened the risk, an Illinois 
Department of Public Health spokeswoman said, “We can’t speculate on what could have happened. Legionella are found naturally in the environment and can be found in newer and older buildings alike.”
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