PITTSBURGH (KDKA) – Officials say the water system at VA Pittsburgh’s University Drive campus is cleared of Legionella.

All water restrictions have been lifted and the facility is back to normal water usage.

The hospital was originally contaminated with the pneumonia-like Legionnaire’s disease Nov. 15.

Five cases of the disease are known to have originated from the hospital. According to the Allegheny County Health Department, one of those five patients died.

Officials with the hospital say a total of 29 cases in the area have been diagnosed since 2011 – 16 of which are unclear where they originated.

The high number of cases of the antiquated disease caught the attention of some officials, including Sen. Bob Casey and two doctors who helped develop the hospital’s purification system.

All were critical of the hospital and the two doctors alluded that the disease could have been prevented.

In a media statement, the hospital thanked the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as well as the Pennsylvania Department of Health and Allegheny county Health department for their “swift and decisive” reactions.

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Sen. Casey Weighs In On Legionnaire’s Disease Issues At VA Hospital (11/29/2012)
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