Disneyland has been fined $33,000 for failing to protect people from Legionnaire’s disease.
Three employees at the park in Anaheim, California, contracted the life-threatening condition in the last year, with two requiring hospital treatment.
Their cases were part of a county-wide outbreak that sickened more than a dozen, and killed one.
Now, the Los Angeles Times has reported that, in an effort to control the outbreaks, California health officials slapped a hefty fine on Disneyland after finding that its cooling systems were poorly maintained.
Three employees at the park in Anaheim, California, contracted the life-threatening condition in the last year, with two requiring hospital treatment (file image)
Legionnaire’s is spread via water droplets and air particles. It is caused by bacteria that can grow in man-made water systems.
Most infections are in people exposed to dirty or poorly maintained air conditioning units. People can develop pneumonia after breathing in contaminated vapor.
In sunny California, cooling systems abound, and ride-filled Disneyland is full of them.
Disneyland has appealed and objected to the allegation that the park’s cooling equipment caused the illness.
The park says the source of the outbreak was not scientifically determined.
But officials are keen to show action is being taken.
There has been a 450 percent increase of cases in the past two decades, according to a 2017 CDC report.
Flu-like symptoms including fever, fatigue and muscle ache typically appear between two and 10 days of inhaling the legionella bacteria.
In most cases, the lung infection can be cured with a course of antibiotics.
However, in vulnerable populations such as the elderly or people with compromised immune systems, it can cause life-threatening complications including organ failure and septic shock.