Legionnaires' Disease Outbreak Hits Long Island, New York
2 Min Read
Medical teams are looking for where the mist or vapor containing the bacteria is coming from.
-
Legionnaires' Disease, a rare form of pneumonia caused by a bacteria called Legionella.
A cluster of 10 people in a Long Island neighborhood has been diagnosed with Legionnaires’ disease, a rare form of pneumonia caused by a bacteria called Legionella.
Health officials say they are trying to track down the source, as it has not yet been identified. However, according to the Nassau County Department of Health, New York is witnessing an uptick in Legionnaires cases statewide.
According to CBS New York, medical teams are working on contact tracing, as well as swabbing and sampling on-site to find the cases' origins.
The patients range in age from 35 to 96. As of Saturday, one had died, two remained hospitalized and seven had been released from the hospital.
Cause of disease
People can contract Legionnaires by breathing in a mist or vapor containing the Legionella bacteria, which occur naturally in the environment, according to the county health department.
On a positive note, the disease is not spread from person to person. The bacteria is commonly found in fountains, spray parks, hot tubs, showers, and faucets.
The Health Department is now on a mission to find the source: From restaurants to hot water heaters passing by decorative fountains, the possibilities are numerous.
Symptoms
Symptoms of the disease typically start between 2 to 10 days after being exposed to the bacteria and include shortness of breath, high fever, cough, muscle aches, and headache.
The disease usually lasts between 2 to 5 days and can range from a mild cough to a "rapidly fatal" case of pneumonia, according to the World Health Organization. Complications from the disease can include respiratory failure, shock, and acute kidney failure.
Legionnaires' disease is usually treated with antibiotics.
In 2018, there were nearly 10,000 cases of Legionnaires reported in the US, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The death rate ranges from 5% to 10%.
