FAQ

The Ross County Health District has established this FAQ to provide clarity for questions that have been asked. 

Question: Does Ross County have an outbreak of Legionnaires disease? 

Answer: An outbreak is defined as 2 or more positive lab result cases linked to a common source through case investigation. At this time, there are 5 confirmed cases for 2023 that are isolated and not linked to a common source. 

Question: Does a local healthcare facility have an outbreak of Legionnaires disease? 

Answer: All 5 confirmed cases have been investigated and none of the case investigations identified a Ross County healthcare facility as a source, or a common source. An outbreak is identified as two or more cases with a common source. 

Question: How many cases of Legionnaires disease are there? 

Answer: There are 5 confirmed cases of legionellosis in 2023 for Ross County.  

Question: Why hasn’t the Ross County Health District conducted any water sampling? 

Answer: A comprehensive investigation may include water sampling. Comprehensive investigations are conducted with the Ohio Department of Health when there is an outbreak or a presumptive healthcare associated case. None of the 5 cases meet the definition of outbreak or presumptive healthcare associated case.