The release states that the three people were diagnosed between July 2018 and January 2019 and all used the water park at the Days Inn of Casselton prior to being diagnosed.
The Department of Health took water and sand samples from the hotel in early January and one of the samples from the spa contained Legionella bacteria, which spreads and causes Legionnaire’s disease.
The hotel cleaned and disinfected the spa and a new sample taken from the spa on Jan. 31 tested negative for the bacteria, according to the release. A third test done on the spa water on Feb. 13 tested positive again for the bacteria, according to the health department.
After learning about another positive test, the Days Inn drained the spa and closed it off. The pool is still open, according to the release.
The Department of Health urges anyone who stayed at the hotel between Feb. 7 and 21 and developed pneumonia or similar symptoms to seek medical help and be evaluated for Legionnaire’s disease.
Symptoms of Legionnaires’ disease include:

• Fever
• Fatigue
• Headache
• Muscle aches
• Chills
• Shortness of breath
• Loss of appetite
• Coughing

The release states that spas usually have Legionnaires’ disease outbreaks due to the warmer temperature and ability to aerosolize Legionella bacteria in small water droplets. The disease cannot be spread person-to-person, only from inhaling the mist from water sources that contain the Legionella bacteria.
In 2018, 10 people reportedly had Legionnaires’ disease in North Dakota and two individuals have been reported in 2019. More information on the disease is available on the North Dakota Department of Health’s website.
Earlier this month, the Minnesota Department Health issued a statement about the investigation of four cases of Legionnaires’ disease linked to a hotel in Crookston, Minn.