Chelan-Douglas Health District in Washington State has reported that 2 new cases of Legionnaires’ disease have been identified in the outbreak triggered by produce misters at a Wenatchee Safeway. This brings the count to 7 cases, at least 6 of which are directly linked to the Safeway store on North Miller Street.
Grocery store misters have long been recognized as a potential source of Legionnaires’ disease, which kills 5-30% of those who contract it. Owners need to make sure their misters are not harboring dangerous bacteria. And when a customer gets sick, the company should compensate the customer.
Once water contaminated with Legionella bacteria is aerosolized, it can travel as far as 4 miles.1 Those most vulnerable to contracting the bacteria – the elderly (over age 50), smokers, diabetics, and those with compromised immune systems – are thus at serious risk of getting sick if they breathe in the mist disseminated by grocery store mister systems.
Legionnaires’ disease, also referred to as Legionella pneumonia, was first linked to misters when an outbreak involving a Winn Dixie grocery store in Bogalusa, Louisiana in 1989. 2 people died; 20 were sickened.
6 of the 7 seven cases reported in Chelan and Douglas counties definitively arose from exposure to the Safeway’s misters between mid-September and the end of October; store management turned off the misters on October 23rd once they were informed that the Safeway was the sole link between the initial cluster of 4 cases. Thus far, even as the number of cases are increasing, tests have not indicated the active presence of Legionella in the store’s water systems. However, as the Chelan-Douglas press release notes, this “is not uncommon in Legionella investigations, since in many cases the bacteria present weeks earlier at the time of infection are no longer present at the time the outbreak becomes apparent and samples can be taken.”2
Symptoms of Legionnaires’ disease, a severe form of pneumonia, include coughing, disorientation, extreme fatigue, high fever, and chills. People experiencing these symptoms – especially those who are immune-suppressed, elderly, smokers, or have underlying health conditions – should ask to be tested for Legionnaires’ disease since life-saving treatment requires different antibiotics than “normal” pneumonia does.
Sources:
- Nguyen TM, Ilef D, Jarraud S, et al. (January 2006). “A community-wide outbreak of legionnaires disease linked to industrial cooling towers–how far can contaminated aerosols spread?”. The Journal of Infectious Diseases193(1): 102–11.doi:10.1086/498575. PMID 16323138.
- “Chelan-Douglas News Release,” 10 Nov. 2015 <http://www.cdhd.wa.gov/About%20Us/News%20Releases/docs/NewsRelease%20Legionnarires%20Disease%20Update%20Nov%2010%202015.pdf>