Elisha Anderson

Detroit Free Press

State health officials have increased the number of deaths associated with an outbreak of Legionnaires' disease in the Flint area to 12, up from 10.

There were 91 confirmed cases of the disease — a severe type of pneumonia — during a 17-month period in 2014 and 2015, according to the state health department’s updated numbers released Monday. In previous years, 6 to 13 cases were typically confirmed annually in Genesee County.

Dr. Eden Wells, chief medical executive for the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, explained why three more cases, including two deaths and an illness, were added, during an interview with the Free Press.

State epidemiologists went back through all cases of the disease in Michigan from 2014 and 2015 and checked for any ties to Genesee County, she said. They found one person lived in another county, but had been hospitalized in Flint, which made it a linked case to the outbreak.

There was also a glitch with the system used to report cases electronically, so two of the cases sent by a hospital didn’t make it to the health department, she said.

“It wasn’t anything intentional,” Wells said. “We were actually pretty worried when we heard about two cases that hadn’t been reported because that is a public health code violation, but it turned out that it was a glitch.”

The announcement about the increase in confirmed cases came a day after the Free Press ran a report that identified eight people who were diagnosed with Legionnaires’ and later died.

Why were officials silent on Legionnaires' in Flint?

Health officials now say five of the deaths occurred from June 2014 through March 2015 and seven deaths during a second spike of the outbreak from May 2015 to October 2015.

“I think we need to keep in mind that it’s still part of the same outbreak,” Wells said. “It grew in numbers up, but it’s not changed the outbreak timing.”

The source of the outbreak has not been definitively determined or directly connected to the municipal water system, but the illnesses began after Flint changed its water supply from Lake Huron to the Flint River in April 2014.

Investigators looked at a several potential exposures including hospitals, water and community venues, health officials said.

“The investigation was able to identify a common source of exposure for 50 individuals (55%) of the 91 total confirmed cases, which is a hospital in Flint," a release issued by the state health department said.

Faces of Legionnaires’ cases in the Flint area

Health officials did not identify which hospital, but said it is served by Flint's municipal water system and the situation has been remediated there.

The Free Press found that seven of the eight people identified in an article Sunday were treated at McLaren Flint for other ailments shortly before their Legionnaires’ diagnoses.

McLaren Flint tested for the Legionella bacteria — which health experts say is often found in water and can lead to Legionnaires’ disease — in 2014, amid an increase in Legionnaires' cases and concerns about the water supply. Hospital officials say a low level of the bacteria was found and that they responded quickly with preventive measures.

A hospital spokeswoman could not be immediately reached for comment today. In a statement sent last month, McLaren Flint spokeswoman Laurie Prochazka said the hospital has followed “all statutory regulations and notification requirements.”

The hospital, along with current and former employees of the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality, is being sued by families who got ill and families whose relatives died.

Those most at risk to get Legionnaires’ disease include current or former smokers, people with chronic lung disease and those with a weak immune system.

Wells cautioned that if there is another case in the Flint area, it doesn’t mean there’s a new outbreak. She said if there’s more than one case, health officials will look extensively to see if there are any common sources that can be identified between cases.

Senate Minority Leader Jim Ananich criticized the handling of the outbreak after new numbers were released and called for more help from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“I'm not confident the Department of Health and Human Services can handle another outbreak, never mind this one,” he said in a statement.

On Wednesday, Nick Lyon, director of the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, is expected to testify before Congress about the Flint water crisis and the Legionnaires' disease outbreak.

Other than the raw numbers, state health officials have released little information about the identities of the people who got sick or died during the Legionnaires' disease outbreak, including names.

Jennifer Eisner, a spokeswoman with the state health department, said health officials are aware of all the cases in Free Press articles over the weekend.

Contact Elisha Anderson: 313-222-5144 or eanderson@freepress.com