Legionnaires’ disease infects dosins in Atlanta

Legionnaires’ disease infects dosins in Atlanta
SHARE

A recent outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease in the US has made news headlines. The center point of the disease has been uncovered. Authorities believe that the disease either originated or mainly spread in Atlanta, Georgia at the Sheraton hotel.

Hotel contamination

There have been 11 confirmed cases and one fatality that have been linked with Sheraton hotel guests. The affected people stayed at the hotel between the 12th and 15th of July. It is being suspected that other people might have been infected during their stay and 63 possible infections are being addressed.

The hotel has chosen to close down on the 16th of July and fully cooperate with local authorities from the Department of Health. Experts are analyzing the site to uncover if the virus originated from the hotel or from an outside source.

Legionnaires’ is easily treated

Legionnaires’ disease can be confused with a serious cold or pneumonia. It is, in fact, a severe form of pneumonia that can be successfully treated if caught early on. Most people make a full recovery when treated with antibiotics. But it does have the power to cause death in an individual if it is not treated accordingly.

Disease Habits

This is not a disease that is transmitted from person to person. It is found in contaminated water supplies or in air conditioning systems that release the airborne virus. Because of this, authorities have proceeded to scrub out the air conditioning system and all water features in the Sheraton Hotel as a precautionary method.

The disease is not that rare as it seems. There are thousands of cases each year in the US alone, with 10 percent of people dying from the virus. The Center for Disease Control (CDC) gets thousands of reported cases but there are still undiagnosed patients that end up dying due to the familiarity with the cold-like symptoms.


SHARE

I am a pop culture and social media expert. Aside from writing about the latest news health, I also enjoy pop culture and Yoga. I have BA in American Cultural Studies and currently enrolled in a Mass-Media MA program. I like to spend my spring breaks volunteering overseas.

Post Comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.