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What To Know About Legionnaires' Disease, The Lung Infection Reported In New Hampshire
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Five people in downtown Lincoln, New Hampshire, have been diagnosed with Legionnaires' disease.
The New Hampshire Department of Health & Human Services (DHHS) announced the news in an Aug. 12 press release.
It is likely that the five affected individuals were exposed to contaminated water droplets from a cooling tower behind the RiverWalk Resort, the release stated, as tests confirmed the presence of Legionella bacteria in the water.
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"Anybody who has visited the area near the contaminated cooling tower should monitor themselves for symptoms," said Dr. Benjamin Chan, New Hampshire state epidemiologist, in the release.
"People who develop fever or other symptoms of pneumonia within 14 days after spending time in this area should talk to their health care provider about testing for Legionella infection."
Those who are within a half-mile of the cooling tower could be at risk of exposure, the DHHS warned.
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Fox News Digital reached out to the DHHS for comment.
What is Legionnaires' disease?Legionnaires' disease is a type of pneumonia caused by Legionella bacteria.
The bacteria is usually found in lakes, streams and other freshwater environments.
However, it can grow and spread indoors via shower heads, sink faucets, hot tubs, water features/fountains, plumbing systems and other water systems, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
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When people swallow or breathe in droplets of water that contain Legionella, they can potentially become ill with Legionnaires' disease.
Although human transmission is possible in rare cases, the disease is not typically spread from person to person, per the CDC.
"Individuals at highest risk include smokers and those with coexisting pulmonary disease," Dr. Nathan Goodyear, medical director of Brio-Medical in Arizona, told Fox News Digital.
"Other risk factors," he said, "include advancing age, cardiovascular disease, obesity and compromised immune systems."
Symptoms of the infectionSymptoms of Legionnaires' disease usually show up between two and 14 days after exposure.
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The signs are similar to other types of pneumonia, and include the following:
CoughFeverShortness of breathMuscle aches and headaches
Some patients may also experience nausea, diarrhea and confusion, the CDC noted.
"The nature of the symptoms is not necessarily what differentiate Legionella from other causes, but history of exposure from 'human-made reservoirs,' though this may be hard to discern early on in infection and/or in an outbreak," said Goodyear.
"Cancer is also a comorbidity of Legionnaires' disease," the doctor added.
Those who have any of these symptoms should seek medical attention immediately, the CDC advises.
Diagnosis, treatment and preventionDiagnosis of Legionnaires' disease is made via chest X-ray, urine test and lab analysis of a phlegm sample.
Most people with the disease will recover with a course of antibiotics.
In some patients, however, serious illness can lead to lung failure or death, per the CDC.
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Around 10% of people who contract Legionnaires' disease will die from those complications — and the mortality risk rises to 25% for those who get Legionnaires' while staying in a health care facility, according to the CDC.
"Treatment needs to be early and aggressive," Goodyear told Fox News Digital. "Legionella infection is an intracellular infection that requires antibiotic treatment."
Antibiotics that are appropriate for Legionella infection include Levofloxacin and Azithromycin.
"Therapy can be prescribed orally in healthy individuals … but intravenous antibiotics often prove to be the initial option for treatment secondary to the pathogenicity of the disease," Goodyear said.
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Currently, there are no vaccines for the disease.
The best strategy to prevent infection is to reduce the growth and spread of the Legionella bacteria.
The CDC recommends that building owners and managers use a water management program to reduce the risk.
To prevent serious illness from Legionnaires', Goodyear recommends that all smokers kick the habit, and also emphasizes the need to "aggressively support" chronic pulmonary disease.
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"Advancing age is a given in life, and immune dysfunction correlates with advancing age," added Good year.
"Increasing immune support (vitamin D3, Vitamin C, Zinc) is required to counter the immune dysfunction associated with advancing age."
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Obesity is another foundational risk factor for all chronic inflammatory diseases, Goodyear noted.
Seine Of Concern: What Are The Risks Of Swimming In Contaminated Water At The Olympics?
(Credit: Shutterstock)
More Olympic athletes have reportedly fallen ill after their swimming events in the Seine River and another event was canceled on Tuesday, Aug. 6 due to concerns about water quality.
Belgium's Claire Michel was hospitalized during the Olympics' first week after swimming in the Seine for the women's triathlon on July 31, for what Belgian media reported as E. Coli infection, a bacterial illness. That contradicts an Aug. 7 story by the Associated Press that Michel reportedly said blood tests showed it was a virus that made her sick — E. Coli is not a virus.
Belgian's Olympic committee announced on Aug. 4 that their team had to withdraw from the next day's mixed triathlon because Michel was unable to compete and there was no one to replace her.
Sweden's Adrien Briffod became ill with a "stomach bug" after swimming in the men's triathlon in the Seine during the Paris games, according to a report from SBS news. The article states that Swiss officials said it was "impossible to say" whether his disease was linked to swimming in the river.
New Zealand's triathlete Hayden Wilde and a teammate also fell ill with E. Coli infections after swimming in the Seine in individual events, according to Radio NZ. The station also reports that the illnesses affected their preparation for the team event on Aug. 5.
On Aug. 6, a practice swim session for athletes to familiarize themselves with the Seine was cancelled due to concerns about water quality and was rescheduled. The Associated Press reported that the practice session would take place the next day, although there are still concerns about water quality.
The concern about the water quality of the Seine has been an ongoing issue. It has been illegal to swim in the river for more than 100 years. France spent $1.5 billion over nine years to bring the river into compliance for the Olympics. Despite the remedial measures, unusually heavy rainfall, especially marking the Olympics' opening events, has overwhelmed the city's water system, forcing untreated sewage into the river.
Belgium's Jolien Vermeylen, who finished 24th in the women's triathlon, said that she didn't think the water was safe enough to swim in, according to the UK's Metro.
"While swimming under the bridge, I felt and saw things that we shouldn't think about too much," Vermeylen said. "I drank a lot of water, so we'll know tomorrow if I'm sick or not."
Swimming in water contaminated with E. Coli bacteria puts you at risk for a gastrointestinal infection with nausea, vomiting, abdominal cramps, and diarrhea. There are a host of other bacteria and viruses found in contaminated water. The most prevalent illnesses for which you may be at risk include:
The most common way people get these illnesses is by accidentally swallowing contaminated water. It's difficult when you're swimming not to get small, microscopic amounts of water in your mouth. The exact amount it would take to make you sick depends on the bacteria and its concentration in the water.
Water-powered "electric Bandage" Sticks It To Slow-healing Wounds
For some time now, scientists have known that electrical stimulation speeds the healing of chronic wounds such as diabetic skin ulcers. A thin, flexible, inexpensive new bandage delivers that healing current right to the wound site, and it's activated simply by adding water.
First of all, just how does electricity promote healing? Well, as a mild electric current travels through the damaged tissue, it accelerates tissue closure by speeding the rate at which keratinocytes (skin cells) migrate into the wound site. It also reduces infection by killing bacteria.
A number of wound-zapping dressings have been designed with this fact in mind, although they are not without their limitations. Some, for instance, incorporate relatively thick batteries and other electronics, making them both costly and awkward to wear.
Others forgo a battery for a wirelessly delivered power supply, although they require patients to remain close to a transducer coil that emits an electromagnetic field. This setup severely limits the patient's mobility.
That's where the experimental new WPED – or Water-Powered Electronics-free Dressing – comes in.
Developed by a team of American and Korean scientists, it takes the form of an off-the-shelf adhesive-back bandage with two electrodes added to its underside and a thin flexible battery on its topside. When the single-use bandage is applied directly to a chronic wound, the electrodes conform to the contours of the damaged tissue.
The battery consists of a magnesium anode and a silver chloride cathode, which are separated by a layer of cellulose impregnated with sodium chloride. As long as that cellulose remains dry, the battery stays inactive. Once the cellulose separator has been wetted with a drop of water, however, ions are able to travel through it, moving from the anode to the cathode.
As a result, the battery starts producing a ~1.5-volt radial electric field which is emitted via the electrodes into the underlying tissue. One application of water should be good for up to seven hours of electrical stimulation, after which time the separator will have dried out. We're told that rewetting it would be good for about another two hours of battery activation, but because the WPED is so inexpensive – roughly one US dollar a pop – it would be best to just apply a fresh one and discard the old one.
Importantly, the bandage could be self-applied and activated by patients in their own homes. It would then remain securely and unobtrusively in place as they went about their daily activities, delivering its healing current as they did so. In lab tests performed on mice, diabetic skin ulcers treated with the WPED healed approximately 30% faster than wounds treated with conventional bandages.
"Next steps for us include additional work to fine-tune our ability to reduce fluctuations in the electric field and extend the duration of the field," says North Carolina State University's Asst. Prof. Amay Bandodkar, co-corresponding author of the study. "We are also moving forward with additional testing that will get us closer to clinical trials and – ultimately – practical use that can help people."
A paper on the research (which also involved scientists from Columbia University, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Georgia Tech, Korea University and the Korea Institute of Science and Technology) was recently published in the journal Science Advances.
Source: North Carolina State University
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