Three people who contracted Legionnaires' disease in recent weeks have at least one thing in common: They live or work in eastern Kanawha County.

Robin L. Scruggs, 42, of Winifrede, died June 2 of Legionnaires' pneumonia, according to her death certificate. Scruggs worked for the state Public Employees Insurance Agency in Building 5 on the State Capitol complex campus.

A second patient, the Rev. David M. Biondi, 54, serves as the pastor of three churches in eastern Kanawha County - Chesapeake, Reynolds Memorial and Chelyan United Methodist.

Biondi, who lives in South Charleston, was transferred out of an intensive care unit Tuesday night at CAMC Memorial Hospital, where he continues to recover, friends and family members said Wednesday.

"He's doing quite a bit better," said Archie Searls, who attends Chelyan Methodist and visits Biondi at the hospital most days. "He's breathing on his own now. He reached out and squeezed my hand."

Health officials have declined to identify the third confirmed case of Legionnaires' disease, but they said she's a woman who lives near Marmet and Chelyan. The Kanawha-Charleston Health Department dispatched an employee to interview the woman's family Wednesday.

"We're still looking for that thread, that connection," said Dr. Kerry Gateley, the health department's executive director. "We're going out and talking to people face to face."

Gateley said the three patients might have been infected as far back as the middle of May.

"Obviously you start looking at where the person lives and where the person works," the health director said. "We're in that area [eastern Kanawha County], and still trying to get it straight."

Scruggs, who died at CAMC Memorial, apparently didn't know Biondi or regularly attend any of the three churches where he serves as pastor. Scruggs' family couldn't be reached for comment Wednesday.

Health officials don't believe that Scruggs' office building at the State Capitol complex was the exposure source.

"We don't have anything that would cause us to go to that building and do any testing," Gateley said.

A PEIA spokeswoman declined to comment Wednesday, citing employee confidentiality laws.

Biondi has served as pastor in eastern Kanawha County since 1994, church members said.

Three people who contracted Legionnaires' disease in recent weeks have at least one thing in common: They live or work in eastern Kanawha County.

Robin L. Scruggs, 42, of Winifrede, died June 2 of Legionnaires' pneumonia, according to her death certificate. Scruggs worked for the state Public Employees Insurance Agency in Building 5 on the State Capitol complex campus.

A second patient, the Rev. David M. Biondi, 54, serves as the pastor of three churches in eastern Kanawha County - Chesapeake, Reynolds Memorial and Chelyan United Methodist.

Biondi, who lives in South Charleston, was transferred out of an intensive care unit Tuesday night at CAMC Memorial Hospital, where he continues to recover, friends and family members said Wednesday.

"He's doing quite a bit better," said Archie Searls, who attends Chelyan Methodist and visits Biondi at the hospital most days. "He's breathing on his own now. He reached out and squeezed my hand."

Health officials have declined to identify the third confirmed case of Legionnaires' disease, but they said she's a woman who lives near Marmet and Chelyan. The Kanawha-Charleston Health Department dispatched an employee to interview the woman's family Wednesday.

"We're still looking for that thread, that connection," said Dr. Kerry Gateley, the health department's executive director. "We're going out and talking to people face to face."

Gateley said the three patients might have been infected as far back as the middle of May.

"Obviously you start looking at where the person lives and where the person works," the health director said. "We're in that area [eastern Kanawha County], and still trying to get it straight."

Scruggs, who died at CAMC Memorial, apparently didn't know Biondi or regularly attend any of the three churches where he serves as pastor. Scruggs' family couldn't be reached for comment Wednesday.

Health officials don't believe that Scruggs' office building at the State Capitol complex was the exposure source.

"We don't have anything that would cause us to go to that building and do any testing," Gateley said.

A PEIA spokeswoman declined to comment Wednesday, citing employee confidentiality laws.

Biondi has served as pastor in eastern Kanawha County since 1994, church members said.

His wife, Holly, sends e-mails to the congregation daily with updates on Biondi's condition. The couple has a son and daughter.

Holly Biondi declined comment Wednesday.

"They're coping. It's tough," said Damron Bradshaw, Chesapeake's mayor who also serves as pastor of a Methodist church in Racine. "I've prayed a lot. David is a super, super nice guy."

Biondi has been in the hospital since May 29. The pastor got progressively sicker, but rebounded in recent days - though he still can't talk, according to church members who pray daily for their preacher.

"Everybody's crazy about him," Searls said. "He's one of the best pastors we've ever had."

Debbie Fink, who belongs to Chesapeake Methodist, said Biondi visite dozens of homes in eastern Kanawha County every month and preached four times on Sundays before he got sick.

"We don't know where he got it," Finks said. "Nobody else from our church is sick. We wish we could find out what's going on." 

Legionnaires' disease is a form of pneumonia caused by bacteria.

People contract the illness after inhaling mists from an infected water source, such as cooling towers, hot tubs, hot water tanks, plumbing systems and evaporative condensers of large air-conditioning systems.

Symptoms include high fever, chills and cough. Some people may also experience headaches and muscle aches. Older adults, smokers and people with chronic lung disease are most at risk.

Legionnaires' disease can cause death in 5 percent to 30 percent of cases, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The disease can't be spread from person to person.

Reach Eric Eyre at erice...@wvgazette.com or call

348-4869.