Context:
Victoria records 71 legionnaires’ disease cases and outbreak’s first death as search for source narrows.
Relevance:
Facts for Prelims
Legionnaires’ Disease
- Legionnaires’ disease is triggered by the Legionella bacteria, found naturally in freshwater environments like lakes and hot springs.
- This condition is a severe type of pneumonia caused by the legionella bacterium, leading to significant lung inflammation.
- Although naturally found in open water sources, Legionella can thrive in man-made water systems like tanks and plumbing systems.
- People contract Legionnaires’ disease by inhaling mist or aerosols from water sources contaminated with the bacteria, not through person-to-person contact.
- Individuals infected with Legionnaires’ disease typically experience fever, chills, headaches, a general feeling of unwellness (malaise), and muscle pains.
- While treatments for Legionnaires’ disease are available, primarily involving antibiotics, there is currently no vaccine to prevent the infection.
-Source: The Hindu
