That knowing about the disease of legionaries in the midst of recent epidemics in Ontario, in New York State,

Legionaries’ disease has made the headlines on both sides of the border this summer, public health officials investigating epidemics in Ontario and the neighboring state of New York.

An epidemic in July in London, Ontario, which has since been declared, has left three dead and 70 infected. The source of the epidemic is not yet known.

A recent epidemic in New York, on the other hand, killed three people and overshadowed more than five dozen since the end of July.

Health managers of this city connect the central epidemic of Harlem to cooling towers – from the structures containing water and a fan that are used to cool the buildings. They said that 11 of these laps were initially tested positive for a type of bacteria that causes legionaries’ disease, but the problem was corrected.

Look | An epidemic of legionaries’ disease in London, Ontario:

The legionaries’ epidemic leaves dozens of patients in London, Ontario.

An epidemic of legionaries’ disease, a serious respiratory disease in London, Ontario, killed a person and made more than 35 sick people. Health officials do not know where the epidemic has started or where it spreads.

What is legionaries’ disease?

Legionaries’ disease is a respiratory infection caused by Legionella bacteria.

Early symptoms Include fever, chills and dry cough.

It can cause serious thoracic infection or pneumonia, with symptoms that may include high fever. Symptoms generally develop a few days after being exposed to bacteria – and can be fatal.

The name of the disease comes from an epidemic of pneumonia which killed 29 people during an American Legion Convention in Philadelphia in 1976.

How is it spread?

Legionella bacteria Live in various sources of water – both natural and created by humans.

People can be infected after inhaling the water droplets contaminated by bacteria. This could be based on droplets, or mist released in the air from things like cooling towers, whirlpools or plumbing systems.

Legionary disease cannot be distributed from one person to another, said the Canada Public Health Agency (PHAC).

Cooling towersA component of industrial air conditioning equipment can be a good environment for bacteria to develop, and these towers can release large amounts of water droplets in the air.

Since a cooling tower emits evaporated air, it could create conditions So that the water droplets contaminated by bacteria are sent in the air and spread through the wind, according to control experts.

This is why they are often linked to the epidemics of legionaries’ disease, said Phac.

Epidemics occur more frequently during periods of hot weatherhave found researchers.

The risk factors to develop legionaries include the age of over 40, smoking, alcohol consumption, chronic pulmonary diseases, chronic kidney diseases, diabetes, immunocompromised and recent travel.

Is it a serious illness?

Infection can cause pneumonia, with symptoms that may include high fever and chills.

Sometimes there may be gastrointestinal symptoms.

“As they come to the hospital, they are already very testing,” said Dr. Zaki Ahmed, chief of staff at Humber River hospital in Toronto and intensive care physician who treated legionaries.

“They have chest pain, they have nausea, vomiting. They may or may not have confusion,” he said.

Because it is a rare disease, mortality rates are difficult to estimate, said Ahmed.

How is it treated?

When patients come to the hospital with pneumonia, antibiotics that doctors generally prescribe generally kill Legionella, said Dr. Isaac Bogoch, a specialist in infectious diseases based at Toronto General Hospital of the university network.

But antibiotics will not be enough in some serious cases, he said.

“It’s not just infection, it is also the inflammatory response after infection,” said Bogoch.

In the most serious cases, several parts of the lungs can be affected by the disease, and some infected people will have to be treated in the intensive care unit, he said.

What about prevention?

Public services and purchases Canada notes that Legionella bacteria can proliferate in the construction of water systems under certain conditions:

• The temperature varies between 20 C and 50 C.
• Stagnant water.
• Sanitation in the system is lacking.

Overall, the risk of obtaining legionaries’ disease is generally quite low, said Phac.

“In your home, you can reduce the risks thanks to an appropriate maintenance of all fog producing devices, such as shower potatoes, swirl baths, swirl baths and humidifiers,” suggests the Federal Health Agency. “Make sure to clean and disinfect these devices regularly according to the manufacturer’s directions.”

But the largest buildings often use water as a cooling source, said Ahmed de Humber River. As they do, the cooling units aerosolize this water in the air, which we then inspire, he said.

Ontario public health said Legionella bacteria are “omnipresent” in the environment and that most cases in the province are sporadic.

Between 2018 and 2023, Phac declared an average of 620 confirmed cases each year.

What happened in previous epidemics in Canada?

In 2012, a legionaries’ disease epidemic in Quebec caused 14 deaths and made around 200 sick people. The health authorities have confirmed that an air conditioning unit at the top of an office building in Quebec was the origin of bacteria. The building belonged to Quebec Union Central.

In response, the Quebec government has brought new regulations for the operation and maintenance cooling towers, such as a register and a control plan certified for each round.

In New Brunswick, public health officials also recommended a register of the cooling tower and the rules associated with STEM epidemics.

A long -term care house In the east of Toronto was linked to 23 deaths in 2005.

This epidemic has been traced with water droplets from a cooling tower on the roof of the nursing home, City officials said at the time.