2 legionellosis cases confirmed at Ottawa Hospital General Campus

File photo of The Ottawa Hospital. (CTV News Ottawa)

The Ottawa Hospital says it is restricting tap water in two units at its General Campus following the discovery of two cases of legionellosis.

A statement from the Ottawa Hospital says the 5 East and 5 West units are affected.

"We are working with care teams to ensure alternative water sources are available during this time, to minimize the impact on patient care," the statement says.

"We are also working closely with public health and environmental experts to determine next steps to remediate the issue as soon as possible."

According to Ottawa Public Health, legionellosis is an infection of the lungs caused by the Legionella bacteria. It can cause two types of infections: Legionnaires' disease, which is a severe type of pneumonia, and Pontiac fever, which is a milder, flu-like illness.

"Legionella is not spread from person to person; it lives in water and may infect people who inhale water droplets from a contaminated water supply," the Ottawa Hospital says. "For people with healthy immune systems the risk is low, but for those that have a suppressed immune system there is a greater risk of infection."

It's unclear when the restriction on tap water will be lifted at the hospital, but staff say they will continue to update patients and families as information becomes available.

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