Protecting families from contaminated food and water
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Protecting families from contaminated food and water
Posted in Legionella,Legionnaire's disease,Our Blog on December 2, 2024
Hi there! Welcome to MakeFoodSafe.com, where we help people who have become sick with food poisoning. Today, we are here to answer the web’s most searched questions about Legionnaires’ disease.
Let’s get started!
Legionnaires’ disease has been trending in the news lately. It seems every time you check the news, some building in a big city makes the headlines. While New York, New Jersey, and Las Vegas are commonly cited, any place with conditions for Legionella bacterial growth and a means to spread it is a potential risk.
To answer all your biggest questions, we’ve compiled a list of the web’s most searched questions about Legionnaires’ disease for you.
So, what exactly is Legionnaires’ disease?
Legionella is a microscopic germ that causes pneumonia-like illnesses. It is usually associated with large building cooling towers, hot tubs, and other water features.
Sadly, it is entirely preventable with routine maintenance and disinfection procedures. Activities generally mandated by city codes.
Most people experience symptoms within two weeks of exposure. This usually happens between two and 14 days. However, this is a range. Some people can become sick sooner, and there have been cases where people get sick outside of that two week window as well.
Legionnaires’ disease can be tricky to diagnose. It presents symptoms consistent with regular old pneumonia. In fact, even on a chest x-ray, Legionnaires’ disease is indistinguishable from typical pneumonia illnesses.
The difference is the cause.
This difficult diagnosis requires a specialized laboratory test to detect the bacterial infection. Without appropriate treatment for the bug, illness can persist longer than necessary.
Common symptoms include cough, fever, headaches, muscle aches, and shortness of breath. Some people may also experience confusion, diarrhea, or nausea.
How long are people sick with Legionnaires’ disease?
That is a tough one. So many factors are involved.
It depends on how quickly Legionnaires’ disease is identified and how quickly appropriate treatment is given. Some people may recover faster than others. In fact, some people may experience illness for quite some time.
Legionnaires’ disease is treated with antibiotics. Many people with Legionnaires’ disease require hospitalization to monitor their condition.
As a person, there is very little you can do to help prevent Legionnaires’ disease. If you are in a higher risk category (children under five, adults over 65, and those with a weakened immune system), you can try to avoid areas where Legionnaires’ disease is found. But that may not be possible.
Others at higher risk for Legionnaires’ disease include current and former smokers, and those with underlying health problems like diabetes, kidney failure, or liver failure.
Legionnaires’ disease is caused by the Legionella bacteria. These bacteria can be found in freshwater environments like rivers, streams, and lakes. It becomes a health problem when they grow in man-made water systems, where the bacteria can spread.
You get Legionnaires’ disease by breathing in aerosols containing Legionella bacteria. These tiny germs grow in the biofilm of man-made water systems and hitch a ride on the water as it mists into the air. From there, they make their way into your lungs as you breathe.
Legionnaires’ disease is not contagious. It is not transmitted from person-to-person. Only in very rare situations has person-to-person transmission ever been recorded.
Legionnaires’ disease is the illness caused by Legionella bacteria. This germ is a bacterium, which is a different type of pathogen than a virus.
For some, Legionnaires’ disease is not a big threat. Most people with a normally healthy immune system do not get sick, even if exposed.
But for those higher risk people I talked about earlier. Those people should be very concerned about Legionnaires’ disease. They are more likely to become infected if exposed and experience more serious illness if infected.
About one in every 10 people who become sick with Legionnaires’ disease will die due to complications from their illness. This risk of death increases to about one in four if Legionnaires’ disease is acquired during a stay in a healthcare facility.
That’s a good question. While some bacteria can be found in food. The typical way bacteria make people sick. Legionnaires’ disease is not foodborne. You have to breathe it in to become sick.
There have been rare cases where Legionnaires’ disease is contracted by aspirating water while drinking. This happens when you breathe in while drinking and instead of the water going down your throat into your stomach, some of it makes it into your lungs.
Most of the time, Legionnaires’ disease is spread through water systems and fixtures. Things that generate mists of water into the air.
Common sources of Legionnaires’ disease include:
Thanks for reading today’s topic, the web’s most asked questions about Legionnaires’ disease on MakeFoodSafe.com.
For this, and more about food safety topics in the news, check out the Make Food Safe Blog. We regularly update trending topics, foodborne infections in the news, recalls, and more! Stay tuned for quality information to help keep your family safe, while The Lange Law Firm, PLLC strives to Make Food Safe!
If you have been impacted by a Legionnaires’ disease infection and wish to make a legal claim, The Lange Law Firm, PLLC has a Legionnaires’ disease lawyer that can help! Call (833) 330-3663 or fill out the online submission form for a free, no obligation consultation.
By: Heather Van Tassell (contributing writer, non-lawyer)