Legionnaires’ Disease is being tracking down as the source of 10 reported cases. They have been found within a one-mile radius in an East Coast population, according to health officials.
Legionnaires’ Disease – Patients Range in Age
The age range of the patients is from 35 to 96. One had died recently and two are still in the hospital. Then seven, have, in fact, been releasing from the hospital, according to news reports.
Rare Form of Pneumonia
Caused by Legionella bacteria, Legionnaires is a rare form of pneumonia. It is sometimes finding in fountains, spray parks, hot tubs, showers, and faucets. The disease can be contracting by breathing in a mist or vapor that contains the bacteria. Moreover, the disease is not spread from person to person, said the local county department of health.
In fact, contact tracing is being conducting, in addition to swabbing and on-site sampling. This is in a real effort to identify the cause of the outbreak in Long Island, New York.
According to the local health commissioner of a local county in Long Island, there have been no cases linking to the school buildings. Also to the neighborhood’s drinking water is safe, said Dr. Lawrence Eisenstein.
Legionnaires’ Disease – Team of Inspectors
“In fact, we have a whole team of inspectors that are now walking the neighborhood urgently around the houses,” Eisenstein said.
There has been an increase in Legionella bacteria in New York statewide due to warm weather, according to news reports.
Symptoms Quickly Accelerate to Being Deadly
Within two to 10 days after the exposure to bacteria, symptoms of Legionnaires include shortness of breath. Also high fever, cough, muscle aches, and headache. Then the disease does usually lasts between two to five days. It can, in fact, range from a mild cough to a “rapidly fatal” case of pneumonia. This is according to the World Health Organization. Respiratory failure, shock, and acute kidney failure are complications from the disease.
Current and past smokers, those over 50, with chronic lung disease and immunocompromised people are, in fact, at higher risk of developing Legionnaires, the local county department of health said.
It is typically treating with antibiotics. There is a 5% to 10% death rate range. Nearly 10,000 cases of Legionnaires were reporting in the United States in 2018. This is according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
