30 de nov. de 2011

Legionnaires' disease cases jump in Maine, New England

click image to enlarge

Legionella bacteria can cause a severe strain of pneumonia when inhaled in water droplets or vapor.
CDC photo

Legionnaires' disease, so far this year, it has documented 18, including 12 in the past three months, said Dr. Stephen Sears, epidemiologist with the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
Massachusetts, Connecticut and Quebec also have had significant, unexplained increases in recent months, Sears said.
"It's pretty usual to see sporadic cases," Sears said. "What's unusual is that (the increase) has occurred throughout New England and Canada at about the same time."
In Connecticut, health officials have documented 72 cases this year, compared with 47 at this time last year, according to federal data. Massachusetts has had 211 documented cases this year, compared with 118 last year.
Sears said he and infectious-disease experts in Massachusetts and Connecticut recently compared their rising numbers but could not explain them.
"Maybe it's warmer (weather) into the fall," he said. "Is it because we've had so much rain? Those are all speculations."
Legionnaires' disease got its name in 1976, when an outbreak struck people at an American Legion convention in Philadelphia. Legionella bacteria are common in water, and can cause a severe strain of pneumonia when inhaled in water droplets or vapor. The outbreak in Philadelphia, for example, was traced back to the convention center's air conditioning system.
The disease cannot be spread from person to person. Its symptoms include high fever, chills, cough, chest pain and muscle aches. Most patients take antibiotics and recover, although 5 percent to 30 percent die. The disease is most severe in patients with underlying medical conditions.
Maine's CDC issued an advisory Monday telling the state's medical community to watch for new cases, test for possible infections and report them. Legionnaires' is usually suspected when symptoms are severe, especially if a patient reports a risk factor such as recent travel, exposure to whirlpool spas or recent plumbing repairs in the home.
Legionnaires' disease requires a longer treatment – typically three weeks – with a different antibiotic from those often prescribed for more common types of pneumonia.
"If you know it's Legionnaires' you can target your therapy more effectively," Sears said.
Most of the 18 Mainers who have been diagnosed with legionellosis this year developed the full-blown Legionnaires' pneumonia and were hospitalized, Sears said. All survived, and have recovered or are recovering, he said.
Although Legionnaires' disease is associated with mass outbreaks from contaminated water, doctors in Maine say it is now more common to see scattered, individual cases. Institutions such as hotels and hospitals are more careful about sanitizing water and ventilation systems than they were in the past, so more common sources are whirlpool spas, showers and faucets, Sears said.
Homeowners can be exposed, for example, when they turn on a shower after a plumbing repair or when they don't heat their home's hot water supply enough to kill the bacteria, said Dr. August Valenti, head of epidemiology and infectious diseases at Maine Medical Center in Portland.
Valenti said he has been diagnosing Legionnaires' cases since the disease was first identified, and believes it is more common than people know.
"Probably there are more coming in (with the infection) than we realize. We do not always test for Legionnaires'," he said.
Valenti said he watches for the more severe pneumonia symptoms that can indicate a Legionnaires' infection, and routinely asks pneumonia patients if they have had work on their home plumbing. He said he treats all pneumonias with antibiotics that cover Legionnaires' and other forms of pneumonia.
Valenti said he is stumped by the recent increase around the state and the region.
None of the 18 cases diagnosed this year appears to be related to others, according to the CDC.
"We try to make links to see if there is any water system connecting the cases, and we haven't made any," Sears said.
The 18 Maine patients range in age from 26 to 89. They live in eight counties, with nine of the 18 living in Cumberland and York counties.
The CDC does not identify the towns where patients live, to make sure that residents of small towns cannot be identified, Sears said.
Alfred DeMaria, state epidemiologist in Massachusetts, said the increase appears to have occurred since August throughout the Northeast and in eastern Canada.
"We have investigated the distribution of our cases and found no common exposures except for a couple of circumstances," DeMaria wrote in an email Monday.
Some European experts have linked an increase in the disease to climatic conditions, although that has not been proven, DeMaria said.
"The idea is that wet and warm, but not too hot, weather favors the organism and its aerosolization," he said.

28 de nov. de 2011

Discovery of Legionella bacteria sparks closure of Perry High School

by Catherine Holland
Video report by Carina Sonn
Posted on November 22, 2011 at 7:49 AM
Updated Wednesday, Nov 23 at 7:36 AM
GILBERT, Ariz. -- The discovery of a bacteria that can cause a potentially deadly disease has forced the closure of a Gilbert high school.
Perry High School and the Perry branch of the Town of Gilbert Library were both shut down after tests detected the Legionella bacteria.
The tests were performed after a library employee developed whooping cough.
The bacteria can cause Legionnaires' disease, which is a type of lung infection.
While no illnesses have been reported at Perry High School, school officials say they are putting safety first.
Symptoms of Legionnaires' disease are similar to those of other forms of pneumonia, which makes it difficult to diagnose. A high fever, chills and a cough are among the most common symptoms. Muscle aches and headaches can be symptoms, as well.
Those symptoms general set in two to 14 days after exposure to the bacteria. A chest X-ray is required to diagnose Legionnaires' disease. There are also several lab tests that can detect the presence of the Legionella bacteria in the body.
While most cases of Legionnaires' disease can be treated with antibiotics, it can be serious, even deadly.
The Legionella bacteria got its name in 1976, when many people who went to a Philadelphia convention of the American Legion suffered from an outbreak of this disease.
The library will reopen Friday and classes will resume at Perry High Monday.

Legionella em Spa

Nem todos sabem, mas um spa é um dos pontos críticos para se contrair legionellose. Uma Avaliação de Risco e seguir os planos de ação sõa fundamentais para redução do risco.

Caso de legionella no Japão - Hot spa

Man dies from Legionella bacteria in bath at Gunma hot spa inn

MAEBASHI -- A man in his 60s has died after being infected with Legionella bacteria in the bath of a hot spa inn in Gumna Prefecture, the prefectural government said.
The Gunma Prefectural Government concluded that the man had been infected with Legionella in the bath of the inn in Minakami after confirming that a bacteria gene type found in the man matched that from the bath water.
The prefectural government ordered the inn to suspend its business for four days from Nov. 25 as punishment for its insufficient sanitation standards.
After staying at the inn on Oct. 18, the man from Katano, Osaka Prefecture, showed symptoms such as a high fever and coughing. He was subsequently diagnosed with pneumonia caused by Legionella, and died on Nov. 6.
The prefectural government has detected Legionella bacteria about 1,800 times the upper limit set by the prefectural ordinance in the bath water.

25 de nov. de 2011

Qualidade do Ar de Interiores (sistemas climatizados) - Laudos Falsificados

Muitos não sabem, mas no Brasil existe uma legislação sobre o tema da Qualidade do Ar em ambientes climatizados (ar condicionado). Como a maioria das pessoas não sabem, quem deveria trabalhar para manter os locais climatizados em situação adequada pouco faz. Recentemente, foi publicado na mídia o casos de alguns locais com péssima manutenção dos sistemas de ar condicionado e total negligência sobre o tema. No Brasil temos a Portaria 3523 e a RE09 que trata do tema, além das normas técnicas da ABNT (16.401), que muitos projetistas e instaladores nem sabem. Pois bem, agora vem a maior. Existe no mercado algumas empresas (poucas), que estão falsificando laudos de laboratórios com os resultados das análises de ar (obrigatório pela portaria e a resolução). Esta situação é grave e gostaria de deixar um recado a todos que tomem muito cuidado com este tema, pois falsificar laudos é como falsificar um exame médico.
Prestem mais atenção, contratem empresas de confiança, não se deixe levar somente por preço e fazer as coisas só para cumprir "tabela".

22 de nov. de 2011

AMIGOS

                                                   Amigos durante o Premio do GBCB.

Legionella Casos

Perry High in Gilbert closed after Legionella bacteria detected.
(USA TODAY - 22/11/2011)
Perry High School will be closed on Tuesday as a precautionary measure because Legionella bacteria was detected at the Gilbert municipal library on campus, authorities say.
Monday's closure of the library prompted the Chandler Unified School District to close the high school, district spokeswoman Terry Locke said.
"While there have been no reports of illness, we are taking extra precaution to ensure the safety of our students and staff," Superintendent Camille Casteel said in a statement.
The school will be closed so district officials can conduct more tests. The library was closed after a worker was diagnosed with whooping cough. That led to standard testing that detected Legionella bacteria, Gilbert spokeswoman Beth Lucas said. The bacteria can cause Legionnaire's disease, a serious respiratory illness.

21 de nov. de 2011

Legionella bacteria is found in hospital water

Published on Monday 21 November 2011 10:09

TRACES of Legionella bacteria have been found contaminating the water at St Michael’s Hospital, limiting the supply of running water at the site.

The bacteria, which can lead to Legionnaires disease, has been found in the water, in the second outbreak of the problem in north Warwick this year. In June the IBM site sent staff home after the bacteria was found. The bug can potentially be lethal, with muscle pains and pneumonia among the symptoms.
Water has been switched off in one building of the site for a few hours at a time over the past week as maintenance is carried out.
Coventry and Warwickshire Partnership Trust operates the site, and has been in regular contact with the relevant authorities since the problem was found.

13 de nov. de 2011

Foto

Adorei esta foto tirada pela minha filha, lá na California. Me faz pensar.

10 de nov. de 2011

Legionnaires’ Cases Confirmed at Baltimore Nursing Home

WEBWIRE – Tuesday, November 08, 2011
Two cases of Legionnaires’ disease have been discovered at the Keswick Multicare Center on West 40th Street in Baltimore, MD. Their symptoms began in September, and health officials have now confirmed that the patients are indeed suffering from Legionnaires’, according to NBC affiliate WBAL-TV. Both patients are expected to recover.

3 de nov. de 2011

Este é meu sonho

Um filme da minha história (esse não deixa de ser um sonho) ajudar o planeta.

http://www.this-is-my-story.com/v/W938263XM63L

Super divertido.