Mayor guarantees no revenue for Legionella and rules out outbreak in Cáceres

Council appalled by repeated incidents The incident, which resulted in 20 cases and five deaths last summer, ended up in court for criminal proceedings, although prosecutors eventually closed the case, has been diligent, and it was the municipalities themselves who voluntarily decided to carry out inspections in the face of heat waves, knowing that Legionella live and develop in natural aquatic environments activated by high temperatures and can colonize water bodies. The city’s water system joins the water network, as has already happened.

Mateos began his speech with a calm message, recalling that when he learned of the presence of Legionella, he immediately decided to block the source. The eight affected are spread over four neighborhoods in the city: fraternity: At the fountain at Finlandia Square, tibia: Fountains of Calle Castellar and Parque Fernando Pérez González (Meiostila Industrial Zone), Montesol: Children’s playground on Calle Los Milanos and a park near the Montesol ski slopes on the same street; also in a park on Calle Los Cernícalos beautiful scenery: Children’s play on Rue Juan Sebastian Bach (Monument to Manuel de Falla) and Rue Mozart.

Once sealed, the mayor explained, it will be analyzed again within 15 days to see if the bacteria is still present. has indicated There are 300 fountains and more than 35,000 sprinklers and hydrants in the city. In a preventive manner, the monitoring service developed by the water management concessionaire Canal de Isabel II inspected 70 water sources and extracted 42 analyses. Of these, only eight tested positive. The short-term goal is to expand the analysis to 75 sources. Mateos attributed the presence of Legionella to weather conditions and recalled that when he was informed of the test results, he immediately contacted the Extremadura Health Service, who confirmed that “there are no cases in the city.” “.

Mateos added that Legionella is an airborne bacterium, and in principle, if you drink water, Legionella cannot transmit this bacterium, and in this case, “the lawmaker said the possibility of contagion very small”. The same doesn’t happen with sprinklers and decorative fountains where few precautions are taken. As a result, monitoring of sprinklers “has been stepped up”.In the view of the mayor, these actions “They avoided worse sins”. He also said municipal swimming pools were kept under control at all times.

Since Legionella starts to activate at 20 degrees (Cáceres has reached 45) The rodeo geyser that caused so much trouble last summer has been closed since June. The rest of the sources work fine and can be used. The irrigation system is also still active.

bacteria growing in summer

Legionella is a type of bacteria that occurs naturally in lakes, rivers or ponds, mainly during the summer. Standing water and a temperature of 30 to 45 degrees are favorable for its reproduction.

There are many types of Legionella, and only one of them, Legionella pneumophila serogroup 1, is harmful to human health. Sometimes it can grow and multiply in water distribution networks and large cooling systems (cooling towers).

The only possible route of contracting the disease is through the air, inhaling small water droplets that allow the bacteria to reach the lungs, sometimes producing short-term febrile syndrome or pneumonia. Legionella infection can be manifested as high fever, with a milder prognosis and shorter duration, or as high fever with pneumonia. Legionnaires’ disease is a bacterial disease that can cause pneumonia.