'I almost died,' Orillia man's road to recovery 'a nightmare' after contracting Legionella
The Legionnaires' outbreak in Orillia may be over, but one local man says his road to recovery after contracting the disease has been a "nightmare."
"I have a heart condition because of this. I don't know what my long-term health is."
Jo Brabant, 54, says he was the first of about 35 people in Orillia to fall ill with Legionnaires' disease since late September.
"I got really, really sick. I got pneumonia. I got sepsis. I almost died. I lost the ability to walk. I lost the ability to talk. I had to go on oxygen in the hospital. I had to go on dialysis," he says. "It was a really, really tough go."
The outbreak turned deadly, with one person in their 60s losing their life after becoming infected.
Soldiers' Memorial Hospital confirmed it cared for 27 patients with Legionella, with one person in the intensive care unit.
Throughout its investigation, the health unit determined one of the 35 cases of Legionella was linked to the Rotary Place water cooling tower, resulting in the facility's closure.
Brabant, a long-time Orillia resident, lives in the city's west end but says he never went into the Rotary Place building before being hospitalized for three weeks.
In an interview with CTV News on October 12, Dr. Colin Lee, associate medical officer of health, said water aerosols from cooling towers had been known "to infect someone as far as 10 kilometres away, although most are within three kilometres."
According to the Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit, Legionella bacteria is commonly found in natural freshwater environments but can become a health concern in water systems, such as cooling towers.
"I haven't regained all my strength," Brabant says. "I'm probably am at 60 per cent strength," he says. "I have great fatigue and lots of pain and aches all the time. It doesn't go away."
The health unit notes that most people exposed to the bacteria don't become ill.
Meanwhile, Brabant is left searching for answers, hoping no one else goes through what he did.
"I don't know that I'm ever going to get better after going through this," he says.
While the City wouldn't provide further details on the outbreak, it said staff was preparing a report to present to council next Wednesday.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Doctors say capital gains tax changes will jeopardize their retirement. Is that true?
The Canadian Medical Association asserts the Liberals' proposed changes to capital gains taxation will put doctors' retirement savings in jeopardy, but some financial experts insist incorporated professionals are not as doomed as they say they are.
Something in the water? Canadian family latest to spot elusive 'Loch Ness Monster'
For centuries, people have wondered what, if anything, might be lurking beneath the surface of Loch Ness in Scotland. When Canadian couple Parry Malm and Shannon Wiseman visited the Scottish highlands earlier this month with their two children, they didn’t expect to become part of the mystery.
Fair in Ontario, flurries in Labrador: Weather systems make for an erratic spring
It's no secret that spring can be a tumultuous time for Canadian weather, and as an unseasonably mild El Nino winter gives way to summer, there's bound to be a few swings in temperature that seem out of the ordinary. From Ontario to the Atlantic, though, this week is about to feel a little erratic.
What do weight loss drugs mean for a diet industry built on eating less and exercising more?
Recent injected drugs like Wegovy and its predecessor, the diabetes medication Ozempic, are reshaping the health and fitness industries.
He replaced Mickey Mantle. Now baseball's oldest living major leaguer is turning 100
The oldest living former major leaguer, Art Schallock turns 100 on Thursday and is being celebrated in the Bay Area and beyond as the milestone approaches.
What a urologist wants you to know about male infertility
When opposite sex couples are trying and failing to get pregnant, the attention often focuses on the woman. That’s not always the case.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Iran's judiciary confirms rapper Toomaj Salehi death sentence
Iran's judiciary confirmed the death sentence of well-known Iranian rapper Toomaj Salehi but added that he is entitled to a sentence reduction, state media reported on Thursday.