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SPRINGFIELD, Mo. Legionnaires' disease is a severe form of pneumonia characterized by a 10% mortality rate, caused by a bacterium called Legionella, which develops in water sources of domestic humidifiers, C-pap appliances and spas, and only heating and cooling units in large buildings.
"You can not catch Legionella just by drinking water," said Kendra Findley of the Health Department of Springfield-Greene Co. "It needs to be breathed deeply into your lungs."
The disease was recently diagnosed in two people in the area.
"Both cases were associated with the Mercy Springfield Outpatient Cancer Center and the Department of Health was there to analyze water samples," Findley explained.
A total of 19 water samples were taken from the building, of which four proved to be positive for one type of Legionella species.
However, the species discovered was not of the type usually associated with Legionnaires' disease and did not match the type that both individuals had contracted.
"There are actually 20 different species that can cause human illness," Findley said. "The two people who were sick, it was a different subspecies, so we can not link their disease to this establishment."
"Legionella can be found in many different sources in all public places," added Vicki Good, quality control manager at Mercy. "So, the hotels, your own water at home, can be found in many places, but we have no evidence that the subspecies of Legionella to which these patients were exposed was present in our center. Cancer. "
Legionella samples did not include Mercy Hospital or any other building other than the cancer center, and local and national health authorities stated that all precautions had been taken.
"Mercy has been incredibly proactive in fixing the problem," Findley said. "They hyperchlorinated this water to make sure everything in this water system was killed."
"We want to make sure that whenever we have the opportunity to improve that, we will do it," Good said. "The CDC is very concerned about the legionnaires.It is a very difficult disease to treat and it is for this reason that they are looking into this problem across the United States.Because we are a As a high-risk industry, we are also a place that treats patients who are immunocompromised, and we want to make sure we work with them to provide the safest possible environment for our patients. "
With this in mind, they also contacted 5,200 cancer center patients to tell them that if they had any of the symptoms of the disease, they had to contact their doctor or health department.
These symptoms are very similar to those of the flu.
Headache, confusion, fever, chills, fatigue, muscle or body aches, coughing, shortness of breath, vomiting, nausea and diarrhea.
"If you're a healthy person and you're exposed, you probably will not get sick," Findley said. "It's only for those who are immune compromised."
"Like cancer patients or elderly patients," Good said. "For the general public, this presents little or no risk."
Officials say that there is no reason to be alarmed, just aware.
"We tested several patients this weekend out of caution," said Good. "None of these patients have been tested positive."
If you have the disease?
"Because it's a bacterial disease, it can be treated with antibiotics," Findley said.
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