At least 14 cases of Legionnaires’ disease confirmed in Orange County, senator says
Update:
Florida Department of Health testing done on Nov. 21 showed no Legionella bacteria growing at the gym in Ocoee. The test results were shared with WESH 2 by the gym on Dec. 6.
Original Story Below:
Multiple confirmed and suspected cases of Legionnaires’ disease, a serious type of pneumonia, have been reported in Orange County, Sen. Carlos Guillermo Smith told WESH 2.
Guillermo Smith said he received the information from the Florida Health Department about several cases in the county, and said they were linked to “gym exposure.”
Guillermo Smith did say an environmental assessment was conducted at the facility “to evaluate conditions potentially contributing to the outbreak. This included testing disinfectant levels, temperature, and pH of premise plumbing outlets and spa,”
He said samples were collected and results are pending, and “A regulatory inspection of the pool and spa was conducted, which led to the closure of the spa due to violations.”
Legionnaires’ Lawyers shared some details. It identifies an outbreak in Ocoee at the Crunch Fitness gym on Silver Star Road, “a facility that was previously an LA Fitness, where health officials investigated three Legionnaires’ cases back in 2017.”
What’s an outbreak?
WESH 2 spoke with Alex LeBeau, an exposure scientist whose company, Exposure Consulting, comes in when there have been exposures to chemicals or biological organisms – like Legionella bacteria, which causes Legionnaires’.
“A lot of times, we deal with isolated cases; it’s one case here, one case there. When there’s more than ten, fifteen, then it becomes an outbreak,” LeBeau said.
LeBeau said Legionella bacteria thrive in hot water. And exposure comes through fine water droplets.
“If you think about a gym, there’s not a lot of spaces where you could be exposed to it. You know you have the showers, again the spas, maybe it’s an indoor heated pool,” He said.
What is Legionnaires’ disease?
Legionnaires’ disease is caused by a type of bacteria called Legionella. The most common way for someone to get sick is by breathing in a mist containing the bacteria.
Once Legionella grows in a building’s water system, it can spread to people in several ways.
WESH spoke with Dr. Rajiv Bahl about the disease the bacteria can cause.
“If you have Legionnaires, you’ve been exposed to it, your symptom occur within one or two days after getting exposed to the bacteria,” He said. “Now those symptoms commonly include symptoms of pneumonia, which is that cough, congestion, but it’s going to be a little bit more of a serious form,”.
The information shared by Guillermo Smith said no fatalities have been reported from this outbreak. Bahl says those with underlying lung conditions, smokers, and those over 50 can be more severely affected.
Symptoms of Legionnaires’ disease are similar to other types of pneumonia, with severe complications including lung failure and even death.
Most cases can be treated successfully with certain antibiotics.
Legionnaires’ disease symptoms
- Cough
- Fever
- Headaches
- Muscle aches
- Shortness of breath
Other symptoms, such as confusion, diarrhea, or nausea can also occur.
Sources of infection include showerheads and sink faucets, hot tubs, decorative fountains and water features, large, complex plumbing systems, and cooling towers.
For more information on preventing and detecting Legionnaires’ disease, see the information sheet below or visit the CDC website.
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