NYT -- Health Officials Baffled by Rising Number of Legionnaires' Cases.
July 13, 2003
Health Officials Baffled by Rising Number of Legionnaires' Cases
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
DOVER, Del., July 12 (AP) - The number of reported cases of
Legionnaires' disease has risen sharply this year, baffling
federal and state health officials.
The number of cases of legionellosis reported to the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention this year
totaled 624 as of last week, compared with 436 for the
corresponding period last year.
In some regions of the country, the numbers are double or
triple those reported at this time last year. Officials say
that the cases appear to be random, and that they have not
identified any specific outbreak or source of the bacteria
that causes the disease.
"There don't seem to be any explanations yet," said Brendan
Flannery, an epidemic intelligence officer with the C.D.C.
in Atlanta.
The 197 cases reported in the agency's South Atlantic
region was more than double last year's 95 cases. Health
officials from Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia
and North Carolina held a conference call on Friday with
C.D.C. officials to discuss the situation.
"We're just trying to figure out what's going on, but
nobody has any really good ideas," said Diane Woolard,
director of surveillance and investigations for the
Virginia Department of Health.
Among the questions officials are trying to answer is
whether the increase in the prevalence of the disease is
real, whether there might be problems with the urine
antigen test used to diagnose most cases, or whether
reporting simply has improved.
"We've always assumed that Legionnaires' is pretty
underreported," said Richard McGarvey, a spokesman for the
Pennsylvania Department of Health.
People contract Legionnaires' disease after inhaling mists
from a water source contaminated with the legionella
bacteria, which thrives in warm, stagnant water. Sources
can include hot water tanks, cooling towers and evaporative
condensers of large air-conditioning systems, whirlpool
spas and showers.
Symptoms of the disease include fever, chills, cough, body
aches, headache, fatigue, loss of appetite and,
occasionally, diarrhea. The disease can be treated with
antibiotics, but 5 to 30 percent of cases are fatal.
While the disease can affect anyone, middle-aged and older
persons are at highest risk, particularly smokers and those
with chronic lung disease. Also at increased risk are those
whose immune systems are suppressed by medications or by
diseases like cancer, diabetes and AIDS.
Copyright 2003 The New York Times Company. |
