Legionella has been in the news again this summer, with three Legionella outbreaks in Spain in recent weeks, including one in the Murcia region. This bacterial disease of environmental origin has a similar impact to pneumonia, and although its incidence in the community has been declining in recent years, the Ministry of Health has not let down its vigilance, with 391 actions taken this summer alone, according to figures provided by The department headed by Juan José Pedreño is in charge.
The Murcia region has the least number of people affected, as only three people were affected in the municipality of Las Torres de Cotillas, while Albenic (Valencia) and Cáceres recorded seven people affected in the two weeks. A deceased person was registered for this purpose, the origin of which is still under investigation.
Legionella has its natural habitat in water, whether it’s a lake, stream or river, especially in wastewater from air conditioners, showers and toilets. As a result, controls on air conditioners, swimming pools and other facilities where water can accumulate and pose a risk have been very tight during these months.
The head of the health department reported that 391 Legionella control operations (100 sampling and 95 inspections) had been carried out this summer. These actions include home visits to cases, second homes, and businesses with at-risk facilities nearby or places affected individuals claim to have visited.
Municipal services in places of residence are also inspected, such as irrigation, ornamental fountains, drinking water networks, and washing and cleaning machines.
droplet transmission
Legionella cannot be spread from person to person, or through drinking water or food; to get infected, you have to inhale aerosol mist, tiny water droplets. Thus, other major sources of Legionella infection are water networks in buildings, through taps and showers; respirators and humidifiers reused by hospital patients; and cooling towers.
The incubation period of Legionella is two to ten days, and the clinical manifestations are similar to atypical pneumonia, with different respiratory symptoms (it may even be confused with influenza at first), as well as various organs, liver, kidneys, intestines and brain, according to previous reports of affected persons. state, the situation may be more or less serious.
If Legionella is treated promptly, the mortality rate does not exceed 6 percent; however, it may increase to 25 percent if treatment is initiated 48 hours after the onset of clinical symptoms.
This summer, the only registered death occurred in the Cáceres outbreak.
Regarding a case of infection in the region of Murcia, which has affected three people, one of whom required admission to the Morales Meseguer hospital, Salud explained that the epidemiology unit is continuing to investigate three cases of Legionella in the municipality of Las Torres de Cotillas.
“As was done in these cases, epidemiological investigations and environmental investigations, sampling in and around the homes of affected people, are being conducted to determine the origin of the outbreak, which is still under investigation,” they said.
The Ministry also recalls that it, through the Directorate-General of Public Health, has published on the Murciasalud website a series of recommendations that must be taken into account in the prevention of Legionella in different regions.
Furthermore, figures in recent years have shown a decrease in cases in the region, with 74 infections recorded in 2021, falling to 65 last year in 2022 and 53 infections recorded in 2023.
The largest Legionella outbreak in Spain occurred in Murcia in 2001, when around 800 suspected cases and more than 500 confirmed cases were recorded.