THE 1976 LEGIONNAIRES' DISEASE OUTBREAK
Episode 205 | Historical Events
In this History episode we focus on the 1976 Legionnaires' Disease outbreak — the most publicized disease investigation in CDC history at the time, and the discovery of a bacterium entirely unknown to science. During the American Legion's annual convention at Philadelphia's Bellevue-Stratford Hotel in July 1976, an unknown disease began killing veterans. Thirty-four died. More than 200 were sickened. Six months of investigation produced no answer — until a CDC researcher working a long-shot hypothesis found Legionella pneumophila growing in the hotel's cooling…
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