Health

Legionnaires' Disease Sickens Two People in USVI, One Hospitalized; CDC Heads to Territory to Assist

Specialists from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention were on their way to the U.S. Virgin Islands to assist the V.I. Dept. of Health with testing, as D.O.H. works to prevent spread of Legionnaires' disease — a potentially deadly pneumonia caused by breathing in tiny droplets of water containing Legionella bacteria which was recently detected in the USVI. D.O.H. said during Monday's press briefing held by the Bryan administration that two people were sickened by the disease, one in St. Thomas and another on St. Croix. In a brief interview with the Consortium Monday afternoon, Health Commissioner Justa Encarnacion said one of those individuals was hospitalized as a result of the infection. She declined to provide more details, citing patient privacy concerns. The commissioner explained that because only two individuals were sickened, D.O.H. has been cautious about the amount of information it releases. "You know that when you start to distinct and answer questions when it's ...