A school maintenance worker has been diagnosed with Legionnaires’ disease, a form of pneumonia caused by inhaling Legionella bacteria in water mist. Prior to contracting the illness, he worked on air conditioning units at McKinley Elementary School and Martin Luther King High School in Germantown.
According to the school district, no other reported cases of Legionnaires’ disease have been associated with the schools. Environmental testing at the school is still being analyzed to determine if the same strain of Legionella bacteria that sickened the employee is somewhere in the school. The school district had common sources of the bacteria, cooling towers and HVAC components, tested.
Legionnaires’ disease (Legionella pneumonia) generally strikes older people and people with compromised immune systems. Symptoms of Legionnaires’ disease include the following:
- High fever
- Chills
- Cough (may bring up mucus and blood)
- Shortness of breath
- Muscle aches
- Headaches
- Chest pain
- Fatigue
- Loss of appetite
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Diarrhea
- Confusion
If you have any of these symptoms and were in McKinley Elementary School or Martin Luther King High School, you should immediately seek medical attention.