Very dangerous disease appears in Croatia: 3 patients die, it is known where infection started

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A very dangerous disease has been reported in Croatia, affecting six previously hospitalized patients at KBC Zagreb. According to Jutarnji List, they got infected with legionella, a bacterium.

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An investigation was launched to discover where the infection started, since it is known that very often the source is either air conditioning or water.

Legionnaires' disease (caused by legionella) is an atypical bacterial pneumonia. It is treated with antibiotics.

"We immediately alerted the Croatian Institute of Public Health, which did all the analyses and the bacteria was isolated in the (hospital's) water system. At the moment, pasteurization is in progress, that is, hot water is being released from all taps in the hospital," Dr. Milivoj Novak, assistant director of the hospital.

Namely, dix patients there got infected according to information thus far, three of whom have in the meantime died.

"We are talking about patients who are seriously ill from an underlying disease, so Legionnaires' disease has drastically worsened their condition," Novak said earlier.

In order to rinse all the taps, it is necessary to raise the temperature of the water to a minimum of 75 degrees Celsius. How the bacteria ended up in the water system will be difficult to determine, but it is known that legionella reproduces in warm water, so people usually get infected by inhaling infected droplets.

Outbreaks of this disease are mostly associated with the plumbing in hospitals, hotels and public baths or swimming pools. The disease cannot be transferred from human to human.

Not everyone who is exposed will get sick, some develop a milder form of the disease, but others exhibit severe symptoms.

(Telegraf.rs)