Legionnaires outbreak in 3 states

waltky · Sep 7, 2015

Legionnaires outbreak in three states...

Deadly Legionnaires disease outbreak in New York City, Illinois and California
Sep 06, 2015 | Legionnaires disease: chances are youve heard of it from random headlines over the past few years, but never felt particularly concerned about it but just what is it, and is it actually a threat to you?

As we recently reported, there have been outbreaks in New York, California, and Illinois, sickening dozens and even resulting in fatalities, and they all tend to fit a similar pattern people in town for a convention or on a cruise ship or something similar all get sick from the disease, which makes headlines and then the disease isnt heard about until the next outbreak. But what exactly is this mysterious ailment, and should you be concerned? Legionnaires was first discovered back in 1976 after more than 2,000 attendees of the Legionnaires convention experienced an outbreak, with 221 attendees getting sick and 34 people dying. Ever since then, incidents of the disease have been growing, with 1,110 cases of the disease being reported back in 2000 compared to 3,522 as recently as 2009 a worrying figure for authorities.

Legionnaires disease comes from the Legionella bacteria, which is not spread from person to person but rather through the air, thriving in warm waters like plumbing systems and cooling units and hot tubs, which explains why it tends to sicken large groups of people who gather within public facilities. Legionnaires causes pneumonia, which can be particularly threatening to people who dont have strong immune systems, like the elderly, children, and people without strong immune systems.

However, anyone of any age can get Legionnaires disease. The Legionella bacteria can enter the lung either by aspiration of contaminated water or inhaling contaminated water or soil that has been aerosolized. It then multiples inside the body, where it infects white blood cells. There are some treatments that have been known to work on the disease by blocking the multiplication of the bacteria. Antibiotics have also been used frequently on patients. Treatment has gotten better than in 1976, when the fatality rate was high because the antibioitics used werent the right type. Mortality is now just 5 percent if therapy begins quickly.

Unrelated cases are a typical pattern of the disease, as it tends to appear more frequently in people who are already weakened. San Quentin State Prison, San Francisco was also struck by the Legionnaires disease, with a total of 6 patients and other 95 inmates that were put under medical observation. Authorities are advising the elderly and sick, as well as those with a compromised immune system not to visit their home. However, access by relatives is not prohibited.

http://www.themarketbusiness.com/20...reak-in-new-york-city-illinois-and-california
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waltky · Jan 14, 2016

If ya go to Flint, Mich. bring yer own water...

Legionnaires' spike in Michigan county dealing with water crisis
13 Jan.`16 - The Michigan county already reeling from lead-contaminated drinking water in the city of Flint has seen a spike of Legionnaires' disease resulting in 10 deaths that may or may not be related to the water crisis, officials said on Wednesday.

Genesee County, which includes Flint, had 87 cases of Legionnaires' from June 2014 to November 2015. State officials told a news conference they could not conclude that the increase was due to a switch in the source of Flint's water. "That just adds to the disaster we already are facing with respect to elevated lead levels," Governor Rick Snyder said. About half the cases were connected to Flint water and half were not, according to Nick Lyon, director of the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services. Legionnaires is a type of pneumonia caused by inhaling mist infected with the bacteria Legionella. The mist may come from air-conditioning units for large buildings, hot tubs or showers.

Michigan National Guard Staff Sergeant William Phillips (L) assists a Flint resident with bottled water at a fire station in Flint, Michigan

Genesee County and Michigan health departments are investigating the increase as are the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Snyder said. Snyder called in Michigan National Guard troops, who arrived on Wednesday to help distribute bottled water, water filters, testing kits and other supplies to Flint residents. The governor, who has been accused of waiting too long to intervene in the crisis, also requested support from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which has appointed a disaster recovery coordinator to help Michigan. Financially strapped Flint was under the control of a state-appointed emergency manager when it switched its source of tap water to the nearby Flint River in April 2014 from Detroit's water system 60 miles (100 km) to the southeast to save money.

The top of a water tower is seen at the Flint Water Plant in Flint, Michigan

Flint returned to the Detroit water system in October after tests found some children had elevated levels of lead in their blood and lead was found in higher-than-acceptable levels in the water. The city said in December lead levels remained well above acceptable levels. Snyder has apologized for the state's mishandling of the situation and declared a state of emergency in Genesee County to bring in additional state resources. Last week, the U.S. Attorney's Office in Detroit said it was investigating the lead contamination of Flint's water. Flint residents have filed a federal lawsuit accusing the city and state of endangering their health.

http://news.yahoo.com/michigan-national-guard-help-distribute-supplies-flint-water-153445357.html
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waltky · Nov 12, 2017

Legionnaires Strikes Disneyland...

Legionnaires Sickens 12 in California, Including 9 at Disneyland
November 11, 2017 — Disneyland has shut down and decontaminated two cooling towers following an outbreak of Legionnaires' disease that sickened 12 people, nine of them guests or employees at the theme park in Anaheim, county health officials said Saturday.

One of the three cases of the respiratory illness not linked to Disneyland was fatal in an individual who had additional health issues, said Jessica Good of the Orange County Health Care Agency. The chief medical officer for Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, Pamela Hymel, said in a written statement that after learning of the Legionnaires' cases, park officials ordered the cooling towers treated with chemicals to destroy the bacteria and shut them down. Cooling towers provide cold water for various uses at Disneyland and give off a vapor or mist that could have carried the Legionnella bacteria.

Disneyland, which opened in 1955 and attracts tens of thousands of visitors a day, is owned by The Walt Disney Co. Hymel said that local health officials had assured them that there was no longer any risk to guests or employees of the park. There was no information on the condition of the remaining 11 victims because of patient confidentiality laws.

Fireworks fill the sky during Disneyland's 50th anniversary celebration ceremony at the theme park in Anaheim, Calif., May 5, 2005. After an outbreak of Legionnaires' disease, park officials said Nov. 11, 2017, that cooling towers at the park had been treated with chemicals to destroy bacteria.

Good said an investigation of the Legionnaires' cluster discovered that the 12 people sickened by the serious lung disease had traveled to, lived in, or worked in Anaheim during September. Ten of the victims, who ranged in age from 52 to 94, were hospitalized. Legionnaires' disease can cause potentially fatal respiratory illness and pneumonia. Older people and those with health issues are particularly at risk.

According to the Orange County health agency, Legionella is becoming more common in the United States and in Orange County, where 55 cases have been reported through October 2017, compared with 53 for all of 2016 and 33 in 2015. Symptoms develop two to 10 days after exposure, the OCHCA said, and include fever, chills, cough, muscle aches and headaches. It is treated with antibiotics, which can improve symptoms and shorten the length of illness. The disease is not contagious.

https://www.voanews.com/a/legionnaires-sickens-twelve-california-nine-disneyland/4111495.html
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crank · Nov 12, 2017

Legionnaires is present in a huge number of airc-onditioning systems, and many of us are exposed to it as a matter of course - even doing gardening exposes us to it (potting mixes, composts, etc). The disease itself isn't really a problem in those with robust immunity. People with underlying health problems are susceptible. Diabetics, the obese, the elderly, etc.

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Legionnaires outbreak in 3 states

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