August 26, 2021 zacherlaw 0 Comments

The New York City Health Department is investigating a cluster of Legionnaires disease in Central Harlem. Since August 9, 2021, 9 individuals have been diagnosed with Legionnaires’ disease. All of the sick individuals are currently hospitalized. The Health Commissioner, Dr. Dave Chokshi, urges any individual that resides in the affected area to visit their doctor if they begin experiencing any flu-like symptoms. Symptoms can include fever, fatigue, headache, muscle aches, chills, shortness of breath, loss of appetite and coughing. The cases thus far come from the zip codes 10037 and 10039. The Health Department is investigating all of the cooling…

August 25, 2021 zacherlaw 0 Comments

84 Attendees of Duke University’s “The K Academy” are reporting symptoms such as fever, muscle fatigue, nausea, and respiratory distress after being exposed to Legionella on Duke’s campus. The individuals were attending a weeklong basketball fantasy camp from August 11th through August 15th. At this camp the attendees met and were coached by the famous Mike Krzyzewski. The camp was open to adults over the age of 35. The University is working with federal, state, and local public health officials to identify the source of exposure. It is believed they were exposed in the training room during the camp activities.…

August 24, 2021 zacherlaw 0 Comments

The CDC recently published recommendations for the best practices of disinfecting a hot tub that contains Legionella. It is vitally important that hot tubs are properly disinfected when Legionella is found. Hot tubs are a well-documented source of Legionella, the bacteria that causes Legionnaires’ disease. As the water heats up, some of the water particles are aerosolized. These are then inhaled by those in and around the hot tub. If these particles contain Legionella, there is a chance that the individual who inhaled it could get very sick. The first step in the disinfection process is to close the hot tub immediately.…

August 23, 2021 zacherlaw 0 Comments

Outbreaks of waterborne illness, like Legionnaires’ disease, have been on the rise over the last several years. An outbreak associated with recreational water is defined as the occurrence of similar illness in two or more persons whose illness are epidemiologically linked by location and time of exposure to persons using recreational water. The CDC recently published in their Morbidity and Morality Weekly Report (MMWR) a report on Outbreaks Associated with Treated Recreational Water in the United States from 2015 through 2019. The report covers important statistics about waterborne illness outbreaks occurrences and recommend implementing new Legionella control guidelines. From 2015-2019,…

August 21, 2021 zacherlaw 0 Comments

The New Jersey Department of Health is investigating a potential outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease in Essex County, NJ. Between July 16 and July 26, eight suspected cases were reported to the Department of Health. All of the infected individuals either reside in Essex County or have recently visited Essex County. [1] The New Jersey Health Commissioner, Judy Persichilli, urges any individual that resides in or has visited Essex County in the past two weeks to visit their doctor if they begin experiencing symptoms. Symptoms can include fever, fatigue, headache, muscle aches, chills, shortness of breath, loss of appetite and coughing.…