Legionella bacteria have been known since the 1970s when Legionnaires’ disease spread among veterans in the United States. What most people may remember is when around forty people fell ill in 2018 after ingesting bacteria – and one person died.
Also this summer, the legionella bacteria is back, something that TV4 Nyheterna was the first to report on.
READ MORE:
SMHI’s warning: Heavy rain is expected here
Popular tourist municipalities advise against swimming: “Big problem”
Legionella is found in potting soil and watercourses
News24 have talked to Lionel Guy who is a university lecturer at the department of medical biochemistry and microbiology at Uppsala University and who has worked with legionella bacteria.
– Legionella bacteria live in the water and spread through aerosols, i.e. small water droplets, says Guy and continues:
– The most common is that they are spread through taps, showers and so on, but they can also be in the soil and then spread via compost.
In the report from TV4, the state epidemiologist states Magnus Gisslen that it appears that legionella bacteria can also be spread via dust. Since the bacteria can be found in moist potting soil, there is a risk of inhaling the bacteria from the dust of the potting soil.
– You can get severe pneumonia which usually requires hospital care and in many cases intensive care, Gisslén tells the channel.
However, it is rare to get sick from legionella bacteria, says Lionel Guy at Uppsala University.
– Legionella bacteria are rarely dangerous, but if you are older or have lower immunity, you should perhaps protect yourself, he tells Nyheter24.
READ MORE:
The warning: Here there are bacteria in the drinking water
The destination where you have to tip: “Otherwise you’ll get ripped off”
This is how you protect yourself against the legionella bacteria
According to Guy, there are several tricks to protect yourself against legionella bacteria and Legionnaires’ disease. For Nyheter24, he shares some tricks: