Vacation rental owner reportedly ignored warnings after hot tub made guests sick with Legionnaires'

Public health officials spent months trying to resolve a Legionnaires' disease hazard linked to a western New York vacation rental property. 

Now, it has been uncovered that the owner continued accepting guests despite evidence pointing to the property's hot tub playing a role in two illnesses.

The episode also draws attention to a hazard many summer travelers may overlook at short-term rentals, privately maintained hot tubs.

What happened?

According to a June 11 report in the CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, New York public health investigators identified a New York rental property as responsible for causing two 2024 cases of Legionnaires' disease, a severe pneumonia caused by Legionella bacteria. 

The investigation identified the hot tub as the probable source. Investigators found the water was heated to temperatures between 100 and 104 degrees Fahrenheit, and inadequately disinfected, a combination that could have encouraged Legionella bacteria to multiply. 

They also reported that whole-genome sequencing showed bacteria from the tub closely matched a specimen from one patient, reinforcing the conclusion that the hot tub caused the infections.

Health officials recommended shutting down the hot tub until it had been remediated, but the owner did not follow that advice, the June 11 report said. The tub was closed only after authorities classified it as a "public nuisance."

Why does it matter?

The case points to an oversight gap that extends beyond a single property. Unlike commercial hot tubs, which are usually inspected under clearer rules, private vacation-rental tubs can fall into a gray area, with upkeep left to owners or contractors and little direct oversight.

Hot tubs are often sold to renters as a perk, but they also provide an ideal setting for transmission. Legionella grows in warm water, and the jets generate mist that people can breathe in. 

The CDC report points to data showing that about one in seven people with Legionnaires' disease had recently spent a night in a hotel, private home, or vacation rental, and that roughly half of those who stayed in vacation rentals used a hot tub.

The report advises asking when the water was most recently tested and what the sanitizer reading was before getting in. If the water appears cloudy or foamy or smells unusual, it may be best to avoid it.

The report says extra caution may be wise for older adults, smokers, and people with chronic lung disease, diabetes, kidney problems, or weakened immune systems.

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