Editorial
Legionnaires’ disease outbreak in Philadelphia in 1976 was mysterious and deadly – 50 years later, scientists know the cause but outbreaks continue
The Conversation
19 Jun 2026
Abstract
Soon after Philadelphia hosted America’s bicentennial celebrations in late July 1976, more than 200 attendees of the American Legion Convention at the Bellevue-Stratford Hotel in Philadelphia fell ill with pneumonia symptoms, including fever, cough and trouble breathing.
Thirty-four of them died.
One of us was a newly minted pulmonary fellow at Hahnemann University Hospital. The hospital was just a mile from the hotel and received some of the first cases.
At the time, no one knew what caused the illnesses. Scientists considered bacterial or viral infection, heavy metal toxins or some combination of environmental causes.
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Details
- Title
- Legionnaires’ disease outbreak in Philadelphia in 1976 was mysterious and deadly – 50 years later, scientists know the cause but outbreaks continue
- Creators
- Charles Nathan Haas - Drexel University, Civil, Architectural, and Environmental EngineeringRobert Promisloff - Drexel University, College of Medicine
- Publication Details
- The Conversation
- Resource Type
- Editorial
- Language
- English
- Academic Unit
- College of Medicine; Civil, Architectural, and Environmental Engineering
- Other Identifier
- 991022189370404721