EPIC update: Tourist who died from Legionnaires disease didn’t contract it from hotel

Breaking news from the Miami-Dade Health Department says the EPIC hotel is not responsible for the death of a guest who contracted Legionnaires disease.

Earlier this week it was reported that one guest died and two others remain ill after contracting Legionnaires disease from contaminated water at the EPIC Hotel in Miami. However, results of a recent investigation from the health department says differently.

According to a last minute news conference on Wednesday night (Dec. 16, 2009), investigations of the hotel’s water and infiltration system revealed that there is no connection between the EPIC hotel and the bacteria that causes Legionnaires.

USA Today reports, “The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention of Atlanta contacted Miami-Dade Health officials to tell them that testing proved that the strain of legionelle bacteria that affected the patient who died was associated with a different source.”

The EPIC hotel, a member of the Kimpton Hotel family, remains closed while the investigation continues.