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NET Health still searching for source of Legionnaires outbreak at East Texas State Fair

According to NET Health, there have been no additional potential or diagnosed cases of Legionnaires Disease in the area since information was first released.

TYLER, Texas — It has been a more than month since the East Texas State Fair. 

According to local health officials, there continues to be seven confirmed of Legionnaires Disease in the Northeast Texas region with a possible connection to the fair. 

Among the patients was immigration and voting rights advocate Ruben Gutierrez, who passed away Nov. 8.

RELATED: First Legionnaires' disease death in Tyler; Family of community leader Ruben Gutierrez says it was from East Texas State Fair

"Our team continues to investigate the five probable cases that were identified, and the reports from those test results have not yet been received," NET Health spokesperson Terrence Ates wrote in a statement to CBS 19. 

The conditions of the remaining six people confirmed to have the disease are unknown due to medical privacy laws. 

"NET Health is evaluating the entirety of the East Texas State Fair, and all of the possible sources of exposure," Ates said in the statement.

Currently, the exact source of contamination has not been identified. 

RELATED: Local health officials investigating cases of Legionnaires' disease possibly connected to East Texas State Fair

Ates says NET Health's Environmental Health Department provided in-depth testing of water samples from various sources on the fairgrounds. 

"The current set of samples sent to the CDC included samples from Harvey Hall and all other potential sources of possible exposure," Ates explained. 

In an earlier statement, the agency ruled out the ventilation system at Harvey Convention Center as a possible source of the outbreak. However, Ates told the Tyler Morning Telegraph over the weekend that no sources have been ruled out. 

Instead, he said a second collection of samples were taken from the center and sent for testing, but the results have not been returned. 

"Facilities, such as Harvey Hall and any building that may house large amounts of water, usually do not test for a specific contamination without proper cause unless it is that company's own policy," explained Ates. "The Tyler Water Utilities is responsible for performing water tests of Harvey Hall on a regular schedule."

According to NET Health, there have been no additional potential or diagnosed cases of Legionnaire's disease in the area since the agency released information to the public about the outbreak earlier this month. 

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