By: Krishna Grandhe
Water is a vital resource for survival. We need it to sustain our bodies, clean ourselves, and even have fun. However, what if I told you it was possible to get sick from it, not from just drinking it, but even breathing near it? This description is of Legionnaires’ Disease, and it’s an issue worldwide.
Legionnaires’ Disease was first discovered at a convention of the American Legion(hence the name) in 1976. Many of the people who attended this convention contracted the disease from the water vapor all around them. The casualties would reach 221 sick and 34 dead, and the event became coined as one of the worst medical tragedies of the 20th century. The disease was eventually found to be the problem nearly a year later when the CDC noticed a bacteria that seemed to be causing everything.
Due to advancements in science and medicine since then, Legionnaires’ Disease is much more treatable but is still very prevalent. There are tens of thousands of cases each year, with around 10,000 recorded in the U.S. There are likely a lot more, however, given that many people don’t get the symptoms of the disease, with numbers reaching 100,000 cases. People that don’t get the muscular pain, nausea, fever, coughing, etc. that others get because of Legionnaires’ Disease are usually in the clear, but those who do have a scary mortality rate, up to 30%. Luckily, as previously mentioned, this disease can be treated. Since Legionnaires’ is just a type of bacteria, antibiotics do the trick. The disease lingers for a few days but goes away as the body develops immunity.
Legionnaires’ Disease: A Story
Eric, a lawyer, had gone to Chicago in 2012 for some work. The trip seemed to have caused him some health problems, as he developed a high fever, headaches, and chest pain. He was put on antibiotics as an x-ray revealed that Eric had contracted pneumonia. The medication would minimize his symptoms and rid the body of the disease - or so they thought. Despite the antibiotics, the symptoms did not go away and eventually got worse. He was experiencing shortness of breath, neck pain, and even coughing up blood.
Eric heard of a bird flu outbreak nearby and thought that was the issue. However, a blood test returned negative. Later on, he learned from his secretary that there was a Legionnaires’ Disease outbreak in the hotel that Eric stayed at in Chicago. His doctor, alas, refused to give him another blood test and said that Eric should just rest. Constant persuasion eventually convinced the doctor to give him the test, and it came back positive for Legionnaires’ Disease.
Identification of the disease got Eric the treatment he needed, but the lack of action, in the beginning, proved to be detrimental. Eric now experiences nonstop memory loss, confusion, and occasional pain. This is when he realized, and what he tries to tell doctors, is that Legionnaires’ Disease is not a “one-and-done” disease. Eric, now retired, spreads awareness of this disease and is part of a survivors group where people share their stories.
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