{"id":118888,"date":"2023-09-23T17:51:39","date_gmt":"2023-09-23T21:51:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/savethewater.org\/?p=118888"},"modified":"2023-09-24T11:32:25","modified_gmt":"2023-09-24T15:32:25","slug":"legionnaires-disease-continues-to-pose-risk-to-water-supply","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/savethewater.org\/legionnaires-disease-continues-to-pose-risk-to-water-supply\/","title":{"rendered":"Legionnaires\u2019 Disease Continues to Pose Risk to Water Supply"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Samhar Almomani, Publishing Associate<\/span>: Researcher and Writer<\/span> at Save the Water\u2122 | September 23, 2023<\/span><\/p>\n

Legionnaires\u2019 disease may be an unfamiliar disease to many people. Currently, it only infects around 10,000 people per year in the United States. However, <\/span>the number of infections being reported has been on the rise since 2000<\/span><\/a>. <\/span>A recent study<\/span><\/a> estimates that the actual number of infections is 1.8-2.7 times higher than is actually reported. It\u2019s important that we start paying attention to this disease. One reason is that<\/span> one in ten people who get sick from Legionnaires’ disease end up dying from it<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Recently, a<\/span> major Legionnaires\u2019 disease outbreak was reported. It resulted in the death of 16 people in Poland<\/span><\/a>, with over 150 people hospitalized. This fatal outbreak shows how the disease can spread through municipal water networks and cause infections over a large area.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What is Legionnaires’ Disease?<\/span><\/h2>\n

Legionnaires\u2019 disease is a type of pneumonia, or lung infection. It<\/span> often results in serious health outcomes<\/span><\/a>. The infection is caused by <\/span>Legionella<\/span><\/i> bacteria. It\u2019s transmitted <\/span>either through breathing in small water<\/span><\/a> droplets or through swallowing water contaminated with the bacteria. There\u2019s no person-to-person transmission, which makes containment easier.<\/span><\/p>\n

Legionnaires\u2019 disease was first observed in the summer of 1976<\/span><\/a> in the city of Philadelphia. It occurred during the Pennsylvania State American Legion, an organization of World War II veterans.\u00a0 <\/span>It was first described as a mysterious epidemic that caused fatal respiratory illness<\/span><\/a>. An investigation ensued. The result was a theory that the cause of the outbreak was from the Bellevue-Stratford Hotel\u2019s air conditioning cooling units. Over 200 people showed severe cold symptoms, and the outbreak took the lives of 29 attendees. The disease was named after the Legion members, the Legionnaires\u2019.<\/span><\/p>\n

Before the outbreak in Philadelphia,<\/span> there was a 1968 outbreak in Pontiac, Michigan among workers of the city\u2019s health department<\/span><\/a>. Researchers thought it was \u201cPontiac fever.\u201d It wasn\u2019t until the Philadelphia outbreak that researchers realized that <\/span>Legionella<\/span><\/i> is what caused Pontiac fever<\/span><\/a>. The main difference is that Legionnaires\u2019 disease involves pneumonia, while Pontiac fever does not.<\/span><\/p>\n

Symptoms of Legionnaires\u2019 Disease<\/span><\/h2>\n

It\u2019s difficult to diagnose Legionnaires\u2019 disease, <\/span>as it often shows as common cold symptoms<\/span><\/a>. The disease usually begins with a headache, muscle aches, and\/or a fever that is 104F or higher. On the second or third day of the infection, <\/span>more serious symptoms begin to show<\/span><\/a>:<\/span><\/p>\n