Legionella Outbreak In Argentina The Cause Of 11 ‘Mysterious Pneumonia’ Cases, 4 Deaths

The mysterious outbreak of pneumonia in Tucumán, Argentina, i covered Forbes yesterdayIt’s not so mysterious anymore. According to an update by the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO)The Argentine Ministry of Health has confirmed that legionella bacteria is the cause of the outbreak that has already left 11 people sick and four dead.

Here is a tweet from PAHO with the update:

The update specifically mentioned legionella pneumophila, who is one of a legion of different legionella species of bacteria that also include L. longbeachae, L. feeleii, L. micdadeiY L anise. legionella can hang out in amoebae that live in moist environments such as air conditioning systems, cooling towers, hot tubs, plumbing systems, humidifiers, ice machines, fountains, misting systems, whirlpool spas, fans, pots and compost. This is yet another reason why you shouldn’t be putting potting mix or compost up your nose.

When the bacteria enter the lungs through inhalation of contaminated soil or water droplets, the result can be a milder illness called Pontiac Fever with symptoms developing a few hours to 3 days after exposure to the bacterium. Or a more serious illness, called Legionnaires’ disease, with symptoms developing two to 10 days after exposure. The severity of the illnesses in this outbreak suggests that it was an outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease. It’s called Legionnaires’ disease not because it makes you a legionnaire and wear those hats they wear. Instead, as i described for Forbes in 2018It got its name from where the bacteria was first identified: at a three-day American Legion convention at the Bellevue-Stratford Hotel in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1976.

Not all people exposed to legionella the bacteria will end up making you sick. You are more likely to develop Legionnaires’ disease if you have a weaker immune system (eg, you are age 50 or older, have a chronic illness, or take medications that suppress the immune system) or weaker lungs (eg, you are 50 or older). suffer from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease). That doesn’t mean you should say “go ahead” to legionella bacteria Even if you are perfectly healthy, you can still get Legionnaires’ disease, although the chance would be significantly lower.

The key to treating Legionnaires’ disease is getting the right antibiotics as soon as possible. As reported by the World Health Organization (WHO), the global rate of mortality from Legionnaires’ disease is between 5 and 10%. However, this death rate can increase to 5-30% if you have a weaker immune system and even 40-80% if you don’t get proper treatment on time. This is why doctors should look for evidence of legionella in your urine, blood, or sputum as soon as Legionnaires’ disease is suspected.

So the good news about this outbreak of pneumonia in Tucuman, Argentina, is that it’s not an outbreak of oh my gosh what the hell is going on. Instead, it’s an oh-this-has-happened-before-like-in-Philadelphia-in-1976 outbreak. It is also not common for an infected person to spread legionella someone else, although there has been a documented case of that happening in the past. Therefore, the chances of legionella running wild in the population is very, very low. This is certainly not a situation where you should panic and start stockpiling toilet paper. (In general, it’s unlikely that health authorities will ever say, “Okay, everyone’s hoarding toilet paper now.”) legionella outbreak is not the same as the Covid-19 pandemic situation. Or the situation of the monkeypox outbreak. In other words, this legionella the outbreak is not likely to spread far and wide.

That said, the authorities are not going to say something like YOLO and they are not going to continue to act urgently. Now, they are trying to identify the source of the outbreak as soon as possible to prevent more people from getting sick. After all, you don’t want a water system to keep spraying legionella in the air like a fog machine in a Phantom of the opera to show. The Argentine Ministry of Health and local health authorities have been collecting environmental samples in and around the private clinic in San Miguel de Tucumán, in northwestern Argentina, where health workers affected by the outbreak worked. This can help identify what needs repair. They will want to make sure there is no more “vent” on the side of the legionella bacteria