MANTENO — Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Friday toured the Illinois Veterans Home at Manteno, less than two weeks after a resident there was diagnosed with Legionnaires’ disease.

Before a number of officials, the governor signed an executive order mandating a review of the Department of Veterans Affairs’ policies within four months. He said he wanted to know the weaknesses and strengths of the department.

Along with Pritzker were Secretary of State Jesse White and U.S. Rep. Robin Kelly, D-Ill., whose district includes Kankakee County. Also present were about a dozen veterans in wheelchairs.

In a short speech, Pritzker, who took office Monday, accused the previous administration of “gross mismanagement” of the Department of Veterans Affairs. He said he wanted to encourage “effective governing” of the department, which he said would be a top priority of his administration.

Earlier this month, officials at the Manteno home were contacted by medical staff at a local hospital regarding one of their residents, who was being treated at the hospital and tested positive for Legionnaires’ disease, according to a release from the state Department of Veterans Affairs.

After being contacted, the department said it began notifying residents, next of kin or power of attorneys of each resident and every member of the home’s staff, and to start immediate water safety remediation response pre-plans, which includes flushing and heat-treating its potable water systems.

The water is being tested, thermal eradication has begun and vital sign checks will be increased for every resident of the home.

A spokesman said Friday that the department was still searching for the source of the Legionnaires’ disease, saying it was uncertain whether it was in the veterans home itself. He said the resident with the disease is still in the hospital.

According to Mayoclinic.org, Legionnaires’ disease is a severe form of pneumonia — lung inflammation usually caused by infection. Legionnaires’ disease is caused by a bacterium known as legionella.

You can’t catch Legionnaires’ disease from person-to-person contact. Instead, most people get the disease from inhaling the bacteria. Older adults, smokers and people with weakened immune systems are particularly susceptible.

In 2015, the veterans home at Quincy had 46 confirmed cases — 35 residents, six staff members and five community members, according to a January 2018 report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Pritzker made a big issue of outbreaks during his 2018 campaign against then-Gov. Bruce Rauner.

Despite following the CDC’s recommendations to eradicate the disease, there were five cases in 2016 and six in 2017.

There have been 13 deaths since 2015, according to the state.

The son of a resident of the Quincy home who died in 2017 from Legionnaires sued the state. It is one of at least a dozen lawsuits filed.

In May 2018, a task force convened by Rauner recommended the facility be rebuilt. It would cost $200 million.

Last October, Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan launched an investigation into the Rauner administration’s handling of the outbreaks.