Three new cases of Legionnaires’ disease have been reported in Southern California, bringing the total number of infected people to 15, two of whom have died.
Eleven of those patients aged 52 to 94, had visited Disneyland in September, and the other four lived or visited in Anaheim, the city where the park is located.
The disease can be spread through inhaling droplets from contaminated water sources. While many people have no symptoms, it can cause serious pneumonia and prove dangerous to those with lung or immune system problems.
Disneyland has since shut down and disinfected the cooling system in the park s where health officials believe the exposure might have occurred. However, the source of the outbreak is still unknown.
Three new cases of Legionnaires’ disease have been identified in Southern California and officials are looking at the possibility there may be a source outside Disneyland, where at least 11 of the patients visited in September, 2017, according to reports.(AP Photo/Jae C. Hong, File)
Disneyland said it learned about the Legionnaires’ cases on October 27.
Water samples taken last week from the towers, which are part of air-conditioning systems, tested negative for the bacteria, officials at the theme park said Wednesday.
‘Negative results mean that the towers do not pose a current ongoing risk for transmission of Legionella,’ said Jessica Good, a spokeswoman for the Orange County Health Care Agency.
The patients range in age from 52 to 94.
Good told the Orange County Register the agency is working with Disney on procedures to bring the towers back into operation.
Legionella is a bacteria that grows naturally in lakes and streams.
When high concentrations grow in man-made water systems, such as air conditioners and plumbing, some people develop pneumonia after breathing in contaminated vapor.
Cases of Legionnaires’ disease have been increasing nationwide and in California in recent years, and officials often struggle to identify where the infections originate.
Thirteen out of the 15 patients were hospitalized and two, who had additional health issues, died.
Neither individual who died visited Disneyland, according to the Register.
Authorities said two of the three new cases involved individuals who visited Disneyland. But officials are also focusing on the four patients who didn’t visit the park as they track the source of the outbreak.
‘It’s too early to point fingers at Disneyland for those four people,’ said Sanjay Mohanty, a UCLA environmental engineering professor who studies water systems.
Sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article.