Legionella is a lung infection which is potentially fatal in nature and can be caused by Legionella bacteria. The disease can happen by breathing small droplets of contaminated water; however, it is not contagious and can’t spread from person to person directly.
Talking about the symptoms, initial symptoms are muscle pain and fever. As and when the bacteria infect your lungs, you can also experience a persistent cough. The doctors usually prescribe antibiotics for reducing the risk associated with the disease.
Side effects of antibiotics:
– Diarrhoea
– Headaches
– Shortness of breath
– Feeling sick
– Dizziness
– Loss of appetite
Considering the risk health involved with Legionella, it is essential to get your water systems inspected by legionella control services.
Causes of Legionella disease:
The legionella bacteria is usually found in your water resources such as your artificial water supply systems like cooling towers, air conditioning systems, and hot and cold water services. The legionella bacteria can spread quite quickly and contaminate the water. Common public places such as Hotels, Hospitals, Museums, Offices, and huge buildings are more vulnerable to contamination caused by Legionella because these huge buildings have complex water supply systems where contamination can spread quickly.
It is said that the temperature in water supply systems should be kept either below 20 degrees C or above 60 degrees C as the legionella bacteria can’t survive in extreme cold and hot temperature.
Is Legionella a common disease?
There is no exact figure of the infected people because many people who are diagnosed with pneumonia don’t take the relevant test for Legionella disease, especially people who have mild symptoms of the disease.
Such cases are seldom reported by the health authorities. It has been observed that legionella disease is more common in men than women and it affects people above the age of 50.
Symptoms of Legionella disease
The symptoms of legionella in the initial 2-3 days are as follows:
– Muscle pain
– A mild headache
More severe symptoms include:
– Chills
– Tiredness
– High fever
– Severe muscle pain
– Effect on mental state such as confusion
After the bacteria infect your lungs, you can experience:
– Shortness of breath
– Chest pain
– A persistent cough which is dry and developed mucus or blood gradually
Some people may also experience symptoms which affect their digestive system such as:
– Diarrhoea
– Feeling sick
– Loss of appetite
When you experience high fever, it is time to see a doctor to prevent the disease from causing further damage.
People at Risk of developing Legionella
Almost everyone is vulnerable to Legionella, but certain people can experience a severe form of infection. The risk factors include:
– Having a cardiac history
– Having a liver condition
– Age 40 years and above
– Having diabetes
– Having kidney disease
– Being a smoker or a history of smoking
– Having cancer
– Pre-existing lung cancer
– Having a weak immune system
Thus, it is important to hire legionella control services for keeping the disease away from your home and making it a safe place to reside.