A 71-year-old local man who sought treatment at the private Kiang Wu Hospital last Tuesday has been diagnosed with Legionella disease (aka Legionnaires’ disease), according to a statement by the Health Bureau (SSM) yesterday.
This case is the first reported case of Legionella disease in Macau this year, the statement noted, as the patient remained in the city during the incubation period before he came down with the disease, it has been classified as a local case.
The statement said that the patient, who has a history of smoking and hypertension, had started to develop symptoms, such as fever and cough, last Sunday, so he went to a medical institution for treatment last Monday, where his chest CT test showed pneumonia in both lungs. The statement added that the man then sought treatment at the private Kiang Wu Hospital last Tuesday, where his urine samples tested positive for the legionella pneumonia antigen.
The statement said that after his week-long hospitalisation, the patient was discharged from the hospital yesterday.
According to the statement, Legionellosis, with an incubation period of between two and 10 days, is an infectious disease caused by legionella bacteria, which thrives in warm water between 20 and 45 degrees Celsius and in warm, moist places. The statement added that artificial water systems, such as central air-conditioning cooling towers, massage pools, fountains, and household respiratory medical equipment, may also contain such bacteria, especially in the presence of biofilms and sediments.
The statement noted that men, senior citizens, smokers, alcoholics and those with weakened immune systems, especially those with chronic medical conditions, such as cancer, diabetes, chronic lung or kidney disease, and patients receiving steroids or other immunosuppressive drugs are at increased risk of catching the disease.
The statement said that patients are mostly infected by inhaling contaminated fog released by artificial water systems, underlining that the disease will never spread from person to person or through one’s diet.
Symptoms of Legionella disease include fever, cough, difficulty breathing, tiredness, headache, muscle pain, abdominal pain and diarrhoea, the statement pointed out. Early use of antibiotics can effectively treat the disease, the statement stressed.
Image courtesy of Law Offices of James Scott Farrin
