The Legionella bacteria is a type of bacteria that can cause many problems inside the human body. If the bacteria gets into the lungs, a person can end up with Legionnaires disease which is a form of pneumonia. Legionnaires disease (LD) is a type of respiratory illness, so it can make it difficult to breathe properly. When the average person gets this illness, they may just feel like they have an unpleasant case of influenza. However, when a person with a weakened immune system gets LD, the symptoms are far more dangerous. It is possible for LD to end up essentially causing a fatal case of pneumonia in the elderly, very young, already ill, or otherwise immunocompromised patients.
To actually overcome this disease or prevent it from happening in the first place, it is important to actually understand it. Not only are there certain ages of people who are more likely to get LD, but there are also specific regions where the condition is far more likely. If you want to stay healthy, you need to know the symptoms, causes, infection rates, and treatment possibilities for LG.
Prevention
Of course it is better to avoid getting the condition altogether, but it can be somewhat tricky to prevent LD. Because there are no vaccines that are effective, larger populations cannot be innoculated against the LD infection. Another issue with prevention is that the condition is often spread through water systems in a building. Unfortunately, there is no way to tell if the system used to hold water in water tanks, hot water heaters, or water based air conditioning devices is at risk for Legionella bacteria contamination.
The main method for preventing contamination from a building’s water systems is rigorous use of disinfectants. Since Legionella bacteria grows at rapid rates in warm or hot water, buildings need to pay special attention to hot tubs or warm water tanks. All water systems should be regularly flushed with disinfectants to keep Legionella out. People can also lower their risk of getting a severe case of LD by quitting smoking and staying generally healthy.
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