Legionnaires’ Disease

Details

• Corporate Authors:
  University of Texas at Tyler. Southwest Center for Agricultural Health, Injury Prevention, and Education
• Description:
  On November 1, 2019, the Northeast Texas Public Health District announced that seven confirmed cases and five possible cases of Legionnaires' disease have been identified in the Northeast Texas region. The full press release can be accessed at https://www.mynethealth.org/uploads/cms/nav-178-5dbba04f6e2a5.pdf. If you are like me, your first question is, "What is Legionnaires' Disease?" According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Legionella is a type of bacterium found in freshwater, like streams and lakes. It becomes a health concern when the bacteria spreads into water sources that are used by humans. This could include shower heads, faucets, cooling towers, hot tubs, fountains, water heaters and large plumbing systems. Most cases are caused by people breathing in small droplets of water in the air that contain the bacteria. Legionnaires' Disease is pneumonia caused by Legionella bacteria and the symptoms are similar to other types of pneumonia, including: cough; shortness of breath; fever; muscle aches; headache. People at highest risk include those older than 50 years of age, current or former smokers and anyone with a chronic lung disease or a weakened immune system. The legionella bacterium also causes Pontiac fever, a milder illness with flu-like symptoms. Pontiac fever usually clears on its own, but untreated Legionnaires' disease can be fatal. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Health Promotion Occupational Health Respiratory System Respiratory Tract Diseases Safety
• Keywords:
  Bacteria Bacterial Disease Health Promotion Legionellosis Legionnaires Disease Respiratory Diseases Safety Education
• Publisher:
  The Southwest Center for Agricultural Health, Injury Prevention, and Education
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Cooperative Agreement
• Genre:
  Newsletter
• Place as Subject:
  OSHA Region 6 ; Texas
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20058176
• Citation:
  Monthly Safety Blast. Tyler, TX: The Southwest Center for Agricultural Health, Injury Prevention, and Education, 2019 Nov; :website
• Email:
  agcenter@uthct.edu
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2020
• NORA Priority Area:
  Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing
• Performing Organization:
  University of Texas Health Center at Tyler
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Start Date:
  20010930
• Source Full Name:
  Monthly Safety Blast
• End Date:
  20270929
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:a63aa0197425974b6a2da37f230bf40fff31a20ae90af56aae3a481bed2d72b0ea932b5126fabfbca45943b004c99e2e1d4b6d5c0a9da66e4201b5a4db988186
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/221313/cdc_221313_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 397.25 KB ]