Aug. 13--An inmate at Stateville Correctional Center in Joliet has been diagnosed with Legionnaires' disease, according to the Illinois Department of Corrections.
The inmate is being treated at an outside hospital, IDOC spokeswoman Nicole Wilson said.
No other prisoners have displayed symptoms and the inmate's cellmate tested negative, Wilson said.
No other details about the inmate or when that person was diagnosed were immediately available.
Legionnaires' is caused by a bacteria commonly found in warm water, like in hot tubs, cooling towers, hot water tanks, fountains and large plumbing systems, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
People contract the illness by breathing in a mist or airborne water droplets carrying the bacteria, according to the CDC. It is not spread from person to person.
People who come down with the disease can have a cough, shortness of breath, fever, achiness and headaches, according to the CDC.
Many who contract the disease never show symptoms, but those who do usually become ill around two to 10 days after exposure to the bacteria.
Legionnaires' usually is treated with antibiotics, according to the CDC. IDOC is attempting to identify the source of the disease and staff have begun sanitizing certain areas of the facility, Wilson said.
