A group led by Wayne State University researchers is moving forward on efforts to evaluate possible links between changes in the water system in Flint, Michigan, and public health.

The Flint Area Community Health and Environment Partnership announced this week it’s begun implementing an 18-month plan to address the area’s risk for Legionnaires’ disease. Study plans were announced earlier this year in the wake of a Legionnaires’ disease outbreak.

This week, officials confirmed the first case of Legionnaires’ disease this year in Genesee County, which includes Flint.

At least 91 Legionnaires’ cases, including 12 deaths, were detected over a 17-month period in the Flint area between 2014 and 2015. Some experts have linked the outbreak to Flint’s lead-tainted water crisis after the city switched to Flint River water in 2014.

Online: http://flint.wayne.edu