SUMTERVILLE, Fla. — Officials at the minimum-security women's federal prison in Sumter County have shut off the water supply and canceled visitations this weekend in the wake of a Legionnaire's outbreak at the facility.
- Inmates are being provided with bottled water while water is shut off
- Prison says Legionnaire's cases are in women's facility; no men diagnosed
- Lawsuit asks for inmates to be released due to hazardous health conditions
- PREVIOUSLY:
A spokesman for the Federal Bureau of Prisons says there are four confirmed cases of Legionnaire’s disease at the satellite camp, up from two confirmed and 21 suspected cases.
The prison has cut off the facility's water supply until Saturday evening so workers can sanitize the entire water delivery system, the spokesman said. Bottled water will be provided to inmates while the water is shut off.
The prison has canceled all visitations this weekend as part of this process.
The cases of Legionnaire's disease are confined to the women's camp, so no male inmates have been diagnosed with the illness, the spokesman said. Inmates and staff have been notified about the situation.
Legionnaire's is a lung disease caused by a bacterium that’s typically spread when someone breathes in contaminated water droplets.
Loved ones of inmates at the camp have told Spectrum News that conditions in the prison are making inmates ill. Earlier this month, inmate Kara Adams filed a class-action lawsuit asking that all female inmates be released because of what she calls hazardous health conditions there. On Tuesday, government attorneys asked a judge to deny Adams’ emergency motion, claiming her claims are without merit.
The Florida Department of Health is working with the facility to address the outbreak, the prison spokesman said.