A Mendon hotel has been shut down by the state after tests confirmed it as the source for a case of Legionnaires’ disease.
The Vermont Department of Health ordered the closure of the Cortina Inn on Thursday because tests of water showed evidence of the bacteria that causes Legionnaires’ disease. It’s not clear how long it will be closed.
State epidemiologist Doctor Cort Lohff said the state began examining the Route 4 hotel after three Legionnaires’ cases showed links to it.
Legionnaires’ disease takes it name from a 1976 outbreak at a Philadelphia hotel that killed 34 people. The bacterium believed responsible is found in soil and grows in water, such as in air conditioning ducts, storage tanks and rivers.