A 93-year-old Parma woman who had been diagnosed with Legionnaire’s Disease earlier this summer died on July 5, the Cuyahoga County Board of Health confirmed Monday.
Her case is one of seven that they are currently investigating as a possible Legionella cluster. The board of health confirmed that the woman was a parishioner at Saint Columbkille, a Parma Catholic church where six other possible cases of Legionnaire’s Disease are being investigated.
RELATED: Six confirmed cases of legionella reported among St. Columbkille church community in Parma
Board of health officials continued to work with the church to conduct environmental sampling and interview members of the church community. It may take up to 10 business days for the results of the sampling to be known.
On Monday, the Catholic Diocese of Cleveland provided an updated statement on the reported cases of legionella involving St. Columbkille parishioners:
St. Columbkille Parish is committed to ensuring the safety of its parishioners and all who may visit the parish. The parish continues to fully cooperate in the Cuyahoga County Board of Health’s ongoing investigation into the potential cause of the reported cases of legionella involving St. Columbkille parishioners. Inspectors from the Board of Health have visited the parish multiple times in recent days and have found no evidence that St. Columbkille Parish is the cause of these cases. Additional testing is being conducted by the Board of Health today, although it may take several days or more before the results of that testing are received. In the meantime, St. Columbkille Parish is following all recommended actions provided by the Board of Health.
