A recent outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease in Milan, Italy, has left at least four people dead and several dozen more hospitalized. MetroHealth officials say at least 53 cases of the serious lung infection have been confirmed in two areas of the Milan metropolitan area.
In response, local authorities are taking immediate measures to control the situation, including using chemicals to disinfect the city’s water supply. However, despite extensive testing of water supply systems in private residences and cooling towers, the exact source of the outbreak remains unknown, as noted in the report. News report.
The ongoing investigation to trace the source of the infection has left the city in great confusion, and sensitivity has developed over what efforts should be made to prevent further cases.
What is Legionnaires’ disease?
according to a The Washington Post reports, Legionnaires’ is a severe form of pneumonia caused by bacteria called Legionella. This pathogen can also cause Pontiac fever, a flu-like illness that is considered a less serious disease.
The bacteria was discovered decades ago when dozens of people attending an American Legion convention in Philadelphia fell ill with a mysterious illness in 1976. In that outbreak, 221 people were infected and 34 died.
The illness initially alarmed health officials, who feared the disease could spread beyond conference attendees. Eventually, scientists discovered that the bacteria had thrived in water from the cooling tower of the air-conditioning system at the Bellevue-Stratford Hotel, where the conference was being held.
How is Legionnaires’ disease spread?
Panagis Galiatsatos, MD, associate professor of pulmonary and critical care medicine at the Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins University, explained that Legionella grows in biofilms in water pipes, showers, drinking faucets and pipes leading to HVAC systems for cooling.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Legionella can also grow in tanks holding car windscreen wiper fluid.
People can become infected by breathing in mist or swallowing water contaminated with the bacteria into their lungs. “Less commonly, people can get sick from drinking water contaminated with Legionella,” a CDC spokeswoman said Tuesday.
