Legionnaires’ disease investigation focuses on a North Carolina state fair
Cases of Legionnaires’ disease have been reported among people who attended a state fair this month in North Carolina, the state’s health department said.
The infected people reportedly went to the Mountain State Fair in Fletcher between September 6 and 15, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services said Tuesday in a news release.
“We don’t yet know whether people might have been exposed to Legionella bacteria at the NC Mountain State Fair,” state epidemiologist Dr. Zack Moore said in the statement.
“As a precaution, we are recommending that anyone who went to the fair and has symptoms of pneumonia, like cough, fever or shortness of breath, see a doctor right away and talk with them about Legionnaires’ disease,” he said.
The Buncombe and Henderson county health departments are investigating, along with the state department.
Atlanta outbreak killed 1
Legionnaires’ disease is a lung infection contracted when people breathe in the Legionella bacteria through a mist or by accidentally getting water into their lungs that contains the bacteria.
The disease is serious but can be treated with antibiotics, the department said. About 1 in 10 people who get sick from Legionnaires’ disease die, a recent government report found.
Legionella bacteria are found naturally in the environment but can become a health concern when they “spread in human-made water systems like hot water tanks, cooling towers of air conditioning systems, decorative fountains and hot tubs or spas that are not properly maintained,” the North Carolina health department said.
At least one person died of Legionnaires’ disease during a recent outbreak linked to an Atlanta hotel.
About 7,500 US cases of Legionnaires’ disease were reported to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in 2017, but that’s likely an underestimate because the illness is underdiagnosed, according to the CDC. The reported rate of people who get Legionnaires’ disease has risen by 550% since 2000.
