Aizkraukle falls ill with the life-threatening Legionnaires’ disease; Legionella is found in a residential building

According to the order of the house manager SIA “Lauma A”, the company “Údens odslų” carried out water disinfection on April 22. On this day, residents were advised not to drink either cold or hot water, but after a certain time they could do so by draining the water first.

Board member of SIA “Lauma A” Andris Zābelis informed that the test to determine whether there is legionella in the water is carried out in cases where a report has been received from the Center for Disease Prevention and Control about a specific case of legionellosis. That was the case this time as well.

“As a building manager, we regularly monitor that the hot water has the appropriate temperature. In this case, the causative agent of legionellosis was found in a water tap in one apartment. Its owner has admitted that she is rarely there, therefore the water is not used regularly and the bacteria have apparently multiplied. The most important thing is not to inhale the contaminated water vapor, therefore, when running water, it is better to cover the respiratory tract with a cloth, because it is not the water itself that is dangerous, but its vapor,” urges Zābelis.

Previously, Aizkraukle came into the limelight in connection with legionellosis in 2017, when cases of the disease were detected in the town. Then the Cabinet of Ministers made amendments to the sanitary maintenance rules of the residential house, determining that the manager of the residential house is obliged to constantly ensure that the hot water temperature at the exit from the heat exchanger is not lower than +55 degrees.

In the particular building in Aizkraukle, it was +61 degrees at the time of sampling. This time, the bacteria was in the cold water in the apartment.

The law stipulates that the external water system networks must be cleaned and disinfected twice a year and regular analyzes must be carried out on the supplied water, which the service providers also comply with.

Andris Zābelis explains that after the cleaning and disinfection of the “Aizkraukles water” network, the water tends to be cloudy, and then “Lauma A” cleans the water pipes of the houses by pouring out this water.

Internal water networks are maintained all the time, but their preventive disinfection is not planned because it is expensive. In this particular case, the cleaning of the system was carried out with the funds of the building savings and cost less than 1700 euros, which must be covered by the residents.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reminds us that legionellosis, or Legionnaires’ disease, manifests itself as severe pneumonia. The disease begins rapidly, with a rise in body temperature, head and muscle pain, accompanied by a dry cough, chest pain, and breathing problems. Symptoms appear within 2-10 days after infection.

Legionellosis can be contracted by inhaling microscopic droplets of water that are formed when water contaminated with legionella hits hard surfaces. They can come from running water faucets or showers, hot tubs, humidifiers and air conditioning units, indoor decorative fountains, and other spray devices. It is impossible to get infected by drinking water, bathing or coming into contact with other people.

Legionella thrives especially in warm water, hot and cold water tanks, pipelines with little water flow or stagnant water, organic plaque on piped showers, faucets or tank surfaces, deposits, washing machines, sink and bathtub stoppers, water heaters.

In order to avoid infection, it is necessary to ensure that the temperature of cold water in all outlets is below +20 degrees, and hot water – above +50 degrees. This temperature should be reached by draining the water for about one minute and its circulation throughout the hot water system. It is recommended to cover the hot water pipes with insulating materials if they are too close to the cold water pipes. It is necessary to regularly clean the shower heads, disinfect them with household disinfectants containing chlorine or by putting them in boiling water. At least once a week, you should run hot and cold water for a few minutes in those faucets and showers that are rarely used.

Air humidifiers used indoors must be free of organic and inorganic plaque, they must use only clean and freshly poured water every day, which has been boiled and cooled. The inside of the humidifier should be thoroughly cleaned once a week, but air conditioning systems should be cleaned and disinfected at least twice a year, and water heaters (boilers) should be cleaned at least once a year.

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