Fast Facts: Legionnaire's Disease:- Legionnaires' disease is a type of pneumonia. It was named after an outbreak of severe pneumonia that affected a meeting of the American Legion in 1976.
Fast Facts: Legionnaire's Disease:
- Legionnaires' disease is a type of pneumonia. It was named after an outbreak of severe pneumonia that affected a meeting of the American Legion in 1976.
- It is actually one of a group of similar diseases collectively known as legionellosis. The other forms, including Pontiac Fever and Lochgoilhead Fever, have similar symptoms but are not as serious as Legionnaires' disease.
- Legionnaires' disease occurs more frequently in men than women and usually affects middle-aged or elderly people.
- About half the cases of Legionnaires' disease are caught abroad.
- Certain conditions increase the risk from legionella, including a suitable temperature for growth(20 to 45C), a source of nutrients for the organism, a way of creating and spreading breathable droplets, such as the aerosol created by a cooling tower or spa pool.
- Most people exposed to legionella do not become ill, and Legionnaires' disease does not spread from person to person.
- Outbreaks of the illness occur from exposure to legionella growing in purpose-built systems where the water is maintained at a temperature high enough to encourage growth, such as cooling towers, evaporative condensers, spa pools, and hot water systems.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here