Legionnaires' disease
Increased risk
Everyone is potentially at risk of developing Legionnaires disease. However,certainthings make it more likely that you will experience a more severe form of the infection. These include: being 50 years of age or over 235 (83%) of the 284 confirmed cases in 2013 involved people over 50 years of age smoking, orhaving smoked heavily in the past (a recent study has shown that smoking cannabis may also increase your risk) drinking alcohol heavily about three-quarters have an underlying medical condition, such as diabetes , kidney disease , ora pre-existing lung condition having a weakened immune system for example, people with HIV and AIDS or cancer
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Introduction
Legionnaires disease is a serious lung infection that is caused by Legionella bacteria.
How doesLegionnaires disease spread?
Legionnaires disease is caused by Legionella bacteria infecting your lungs. It's usually caught by breathing in small droplets of contaminated water. The infection isn't contagious and can't be spread
Increased risk
Everyone is potentially at risk of developing Legionnaires disease. However,certainthings make it more likely that you will experience a more severe form of the infection. These include: being 50 ye
TreatingLegionnaires' disease
Legionnaires' disease is treated with a course of antibiotics , such as erythromycin or clarithromycin. Antibiotics will be taken as a tablet or capsule, orthrough a continuous drip intoa vein in your
Complications of Legionnaires' disease
In some cases,Legionnaires' disease canlead tofurther, life-threatening problems. Severeinfectioncancause some organs, such as your lungs or kidneys,to stop working properly. Anothercomplication is s
Preventing Legionnaires' disease
The best way to prevent an outbreak of Legionnaires disease is to ensure that any water system under your control is properly maintained and conforms to relevant health and safety regulations. This m
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