Legionella E-news -- 10 September 2008
Legionella E-news, 10
September 2008
HC Info
Matthew R. Freije, Editor
**IN THIS ISSUE**
1. Legionnaires' Outbreaks
2. Increase in Legionnaires' Disease in the USA
3. Travel-Associated Legionnaires’ Disease in Europe, 2006
4. Book Reviews
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1. LEGIONNAIRES' OUTBREAKS
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So many Legionnaires' outbreaks have occurred recently that we will
report each only briefly:
Thirteen cases and one death in Syracuse, NY: An outbreak of
Legionnaires' disease, beginning on June 30, in the Onondaga Hill area
of Syracuse resulted in 13 infected persons, of whom six were patients
at a hospital and one a resident of a nursing home. One of the infected
persons has died.
Nine cases in Barcelona: Nine cases of Legionnaires disease occurred in
Barcelona among persons living in the east part of Cerdanyola, which is
close to where an outbreak ofmore than 100 cases of LD occurred in the
summer of 2002. All nine patients were hospitalized and recovered. The
first few cases were identified the first week in July.
Thirteen cases and one death in Elmira, NY: County health officials
reported that 13 residents of a senior housing complex in Elmira, New
York contacted Legionnaires' disease in August. One of them has died.
Three cases in Norton Shores, Michigan: In a period of about 30 days in
April and May, three older men living in Norton Shores, Michigan
contracted Legionnaires' disease. One of the men died. As of the date of
the news report, a source had not been identified. Source: woodtv.com
Five cases and two deaths in Norway: Eastern Norway experienced an
outbreak of Legionnaire’s disease in five people from mid-June to late
July, two of whom have died.
Five cases among guests of a hotel in Illinois: In May and June, five
confirmed cases of Legionnaires disease occurred among guests of a hotel
in McHenry, Illinois. The hotel hot tub was the suspected source for at
least two of the cases. Source: Chicago Tribune
Seven cases in Hamilton, Ontario: Seven residents of Hamilton, Ontario
contracted Legionnaires' disease in August. Although the cases live in
the same area, no common source has been identified. All seven have
recovered or are expected to.
Three cases in Charleston, WV: One male and two female residents of
Charleston, West Virginia contracted Legionnaires' disease over a
two-week period in June. One of the women died and the other two persons
were hospitalized in intensive care. The source of contamination was not
identified. Source: The Charleston Gazette
Two cases in Dublin: Two office workers contracted Legionnaires disease
in Dublin. The first was diagnosed on June 27 and the other about 10
days later. The office building’s cooling tower was the suspected
source. Source: dublinpeople.com
Two cases in Rochester, NY: Just yesterday it was reported that two
residents of an assisted living facility in the Rochester area have
contracted Legionnaires' disease. The first case occurred in late August
and the second about two weeks later. Source: Rochester Democrat and
Chronicle
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2. INCREASE IN LEGIONNAIRES' DISEASE IN THE USA
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In a paper published this month in Clinical Infectious Diseases, authors
Karen Neil and Ruth Berkelman wrote, "an abrupt increase in the
incidence of legionellosis in the United States has been noted since
2003." The paper stated that reported cases increased 70% from 2002 to
2003 and at a rate of more than 2000 cases a year from 2003 through
2005. From 2000 through 2005, 63% of the cases occurred in persons less
than 65 years of age, most of whom were aged 45 to 64 years. Most cases
were reported in summer or fall. The largest increase was in the eastern
states. Reference: Neil K, Berkelman R. 2008. Increasing Incidence of
Legionellosis in the United States, 1990–2005: Changing Epidemiologic
Trends. CID, Sept. 2008
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3. TRAVEL-ASSOCIATED LEGIONNAIRES’ DISEASE IN EUROPE, 2006
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Eurosurveillance has issued a report summarizing travel-associated
Legionnaires’ disease reported by 20 European countries. For more
information, visit http://www.eurosurveillance.org/ViewArticle.aspx?ArticleId=18930.
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4. BOOK REVIEWS
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Book reviews are planned for upcoming issues of Legionella E-news. If
you would like to submit a legionella-related book for review, please
send it to HC Info. If you would like to write the book review yourself,
please email it to hcinfo@hcinfo.com with your CV or bio.
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