Iowa City VA responds to report about bacteria in water

IOWA CITY — The Iowa City VA Medical Center says the water supply has never been compromised with bacteria known to case a severe form of pneumonia.

In a release Thursday night, administrators said the main water supply has never been compromised with Legionella bacteria, and no cases of Legionnaires’ Disease have been reported at the hospital.

On Sunday, the Des Moines Register reported the hospital found the bacteria and planned to spend $6.5 million to fix the problem.

The medical center said testing in May was positive for Legionella bacteria in small amounts and isolated locations in the facility, such as a sink or shower. Officials said the bacteria was never present in the main water supply.

According to the Mayo Clinic, the Legionella bacteria leads to Legionnaires’ Disease, an infection of the lungs. It starts with muscle pain or chills and coughing and chest pain develop by the second or third day.

The VA says the level of bacteria found in Iowa City posed virtually no risk to patients, visitors or employees. However, some have criticized the hospital for not being upfront with patients about the positive test.

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