Legionnaires’ disease: How to Prevent and Control

Legionnaires’ disease: How to Prevent and Control
Legionella is a bacterium that occurs naturally. It can be found in water as well
as soil. It is quite benign when it is in relatively lower concentrations. However,
if it is allowed to colonise in an environment conducive to its survival, then it can
become a health risk that is quite serious. This colonisation occurs when
Legionella is present with organic matter such as algae. The ideal temperature
for this is roughly around 35 to 46 degrees Centigrade. If your respiratory tract
gets colonised by the Legionella bacteria, then you will suffer from an extreme
form of pneumonia which is called Legionnaires disease.

This disease can be contracted through aspiration, which is when water particles
that are contaminated with the bacteria are taken into the lungs. This happens
when a person chokes while drinking, swallowing or ingesting. It can also be
contracted by breathing in the water aerosols that contain legionella. When a
person is infected, they generally have symptoms that are characteristic of flu,
such as muscle pain, headaches, followed by chills, dry cough, vomiting, high
fevers, diarrhoea, nausea, chest pains as well as difficulty in breathing.
People above the age of 50, who contract legionaries’ disease, are at risk in
particular. The disease has a mortality rate of 30%. People who have a history of
respiratory diseases or lung diseases, people who are diabetic, heavy smokers
and drinkers, and also people who have weak immune systems are at a higher
risk than others. Cooling towers happen to be very good legionella breeding
grounds. The bacteria can colonise easily. Thus, such areas are regularly noted to
be the crux of the issue when there is an outbreak of Legionnaire’s disease.
In order to prevent these outbreaks, some precautions have to be taken. Having
legionella information helps a lot as well. One can check out Legionella
Regulations website set up by HydroChem, one of the leading companies
providing industrial and commercial water treatment in Australia, for guidance.
Outbreaks typically occur during the warm seasons because the perfect
conditions for the bacteria to thrive require warm water system. There has been
advancement in the methods of detecting the bacteria; however, this doesn’t do
much to reduce the infections. It is extremely important to ensure that water
systems are well maintained and are in a healthy condition. This is the most
effective way to curb the risks of Legionella colonisation. Moreover, you must
make sure that the latest steps are taken when installing a cooling tower. It must
be registered, tested and maintained regularly. Research has shown that doing
this significantly reduces the risk of an outbreak. For more detaila, visit
http://www.legionellaguidelines.com.au/legionella/