King County Public Health officials said Thursday they were investigating Legionnaires’ disease to protect patient and staff safety, and to assure that patients with pneumonia get appropriate laboratory testing.
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Health officials are investigating new cases of Legionnaires’ disease in Minnesota.
One case was reported August 26 in a patient who may have been exposed to Legionella bacteria either at the hospital or in the community, officials with Public Health – Seattle & King County said Thursday. Three are now hospitalized, while the other two were hospitalized but have since recovered.
It’s an infection caused by the bacteria Legionella pneumophila, which is found in many types of water systems.
It is not spread from person to person or by drinking water.
“Minnesota typically sees 50 to 60 cases of Legionellosis each year”.
The disease takes its name from an outbreak at the Pennsylvania American Legion convention in Philadelphia in July 1976. In Washington state, the number of cases varies each year from fewer than 10 to more than 50. The people involved either live or work in Hopkins. It’s spread by inhaling fine spray from water sources containing Legionella bacteria. It causes symptoms including cough, shortness of breath, fever, muscle aches and headaches and it can be risky in people with weak immune systems. The bacterium believed responsible is found in soil and grows in water, such as air-conditioning ducts and storage tanks. People over the age of 50, smokers, or those with weakened immune systems, chronic lung disease or other chronic health conditions, are at increased risk, the agency added.
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Most cases of Legionnaires’ disease can be successfully treated with antibiotics – the fatality rate is 5-30%.
