Legionnaires' case reported at Sherbrooke hospital

Health officials in Sherbrooke are reporting a case of Legionnaires' disease at the Fleurimont Hospital.

The patient is believed to have contracted the bacteria at the Sherbrooke University Health Centre-affiliated hospital while being treated for cancer.

Traces of Legionnaires' were found in the plumbing of her hospital room’s bathroom.

Tests suggest the source of the contamination was the water system in the hospital’s fifth ward and decontamination measures are underway.

There's no evidence of the bacteria elsewhere in the building, but hospital officials have taken the precautionary measure of shutting off water to sinks and showers in the oncology ward, 7C.

Alternative means of washing are being supplied.

Patients, staff, and visitors aren’t considered at risk of contracting Legionnaires', which officials stressed is not passed from person to person but spreads through the inhalation of contaminated water.