Legionnaires disease has killed seven people in New York City and made dozens of others sick, with health officials warning that it is likely doctors will diagnose more cases of Legionnaires’ disease in the Bronx in the coming days.
But what is Legionnaires’ disease, and how concerned should New Yorkers, or visitors to the city, be about the disease?
What is Legionnaires’ disease?
Legionnaires’ disease is a severe form of pneumonia, an infection that causes air sacs in the lungs to become inflamed and fill with liquid, making it difficult for the lungs to transport oxygen to the blood and around the body.
This inflammation causes the disease’s symptoms, such as shortness of breath, cough, high fever and others such as muscle and headaches. In some people, primarily those who are already immunocompromised, the disease can cause death.
Legionnaires’ disease is caused by a bacteria called legionella that grows in warm water, usually between 77 and 108F (25 to 42C). Most commonly it is found in hot tubs, hot water tanks, decorative fountains and large plumbing systems. People become sick when they inhale water vapor containing the bacteria, usually two to 14 days after exposure.
How is it treated?
Legionnaires’ disease is treated with a course of antibiotics lasting around three weeks. People who have a severe form of the illness could be forced to stay in the hospital for an extended period of time. Anywhere from 5% to 30% of people infected with the disease could die as a result, according to the Centers for Disease Control.
Why are people getting sick in New York?
So far, 80 people have been diagnosed with the disease in New York, seven have died, 64 have been hospitalized and 28 discharged. Epidemiologists expect more cases will be diagnosed in the coming days. The city has tested 17 cooling towers for the bacteria and found five were infected.
Legionella contaminated cooling towers in the Bronx, a borough north of Manhattan. Cooling towers are part of so-called HVAC (heating, ventilation, air conditioning) systems in the city, where they provide a way to heat and cool large buildings when land is at a premium.
Cooling towers work by removing heat from water through accelerating evaporation. This cools the water, which is then recirculated through a cooling system. This is a perfect environment for legionella to grow, because the bacteria love warmth, and as a vehicle for infection because the germ must be inhaled to make people sick.
What should I do if think I have Legionnaires’ disease?
If you have pneumonia-like symptoms, such as those mentioned above, you should seek medical attention immediately.
Can I catch it from an infected person?
No, Legionnaires’ disease cannot be passed between people, even those who have close contact such as roommates or spouses.
Why are people catching it in a developed nation such as the US?
Actually, Legionnaires’ disease is an illness that strikes almost exclusively in developed countries, and does not appear to occur in lakes, streams, rivers or other natural water sources.
The disease itself is named for a group of American Legion veterans who caught the disease in 1976 during a conference in Philadelphia, at the ritzy Bellevue-Stratford hotel.
The disease was a mystery for months, but was eventually identified and found in a cooling tower for the hotel’s air conditioning system. The legionnaires became the first group in which legionella was recognized.
A lot of people have already been affected in New York. Is this one of the worst outbreaks?
The largest reported outbreak of the disease was in Murcia, Spain, in 2001; more than 800 suspected cases were reported and 449 people were confirmed to have been affected by legionella bacteria growing in a cooling tower of a local hospital.
Between 8,000 and 18,000 people contract Legionnaires’ disease each year, but that number could be higher due to under-reporting and diagnosis. The illness is most commonly reported in the summer and early fall, according to the CDC.
What’s being done in New York to keep more people from getting sick?
City officials have cleaned all five cooling towers where the disease was found. They have said they are “actively investigating” cooling towers in the area.
