Question

Two summers ago in NYC there was an outbreak of Legionnaires' Disease. Since summer is upon us our first discussion board will be about this topic. Legionnaires' Disease is a type of pneumonia caused by bacteria (legionella) that grow in warm water. Discuss how local officials, the health department, the mayor's office, handled the outbreak. Discuss the following questions: What factors may have caused this problem? What was identified as the source of the outbreak? Who is at risk for the disease? How long did the outbreak in NYC last?

Answer 1

Legionnaires' Disease.

This is also referred to as legionella pneumonia. This may be an asymptomatic form of bacteria, as exposed people may not show symptoms. People developing symptoms may be experiencing chills, cough, diarrhoea, headache, shortness of breath or muscle aches.

This outbreak affected more than 400 people in NYC. This was one of the worst outbreaks. This is the bacteria that would be thriving in conditions that are war, and wet. This was handled by the state department by a regular cooling tower check up. Also, the officials started to check the drinking water systems present in the hospital. It was said by the department that almost 57% cases would begin in such facilities.

There was a lot of focus of the health officials on the outbreaks and not on the sporadic cases.

There were two outbreaks. First was in dec 2014 and the second was in July 2015. The duration of the first one was 2 months and of the 2nd one was 1.5 months. The location was of Bronx city. This took place as a result of contaminated water vapour inhalation.