Hamilton County has an outbreak of Legionnaires' disease, but the public health director says not to worry. Dr. Steven Feagins says two positive cases in 12 months qualify as an outbreak.
“The bar is low on purpose because we want to basically react to more things than not,” he says. “That’s what we do in public health. It’s not the person in front of you. It’s their contact, (and) their contact. It’s not the person just getting over pneumonia, it’s what caused that and the potential for someone else to get that.”
He says two cases of Legionnaires' disease locally are nothing to worry about. Officials are testing the water on Christ Hospital's main campus where the cases were identified.
Feagins says legionella bacteria can lead to pneumonia, especially in people with compromised immune systems.
“The majority of the time there’s really minimal symptoms, just like a cold,” he says. “So, they get rid of it on their own. Or they call their local doctor and get a Z-pack and they were treating it and didn’t realize that.”
It can get complicated for those with suppressed immune systems and heavy smokers.
Legionnaires' doesn't spread from person to person. It's transmitted in aerosolized water.
“That’s actually one reason why in hospitals you don’t see a lot of water fountains. What you do see is a place to fill your water bottle,” he says. “You don’t see a lot of decorative fountains spraying water into the air.”
Ohio has had more than 310 cases of Legionnaires' disease so far this year, just under 30 of them in Hamilton County.
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