What is Legionella?
Legionella is a bacterium that can be in both ground and water. It is crazy on stagnant water that slowly warms up. “For example, think of a boiler, ponds and fountains. The bacterium can grow in that,” says GGD doctor Christine Schout. “But also in jacuzzis, very large air conditioners or in the large water basins of sewage treatment plants.”
Strangely enough, you cannot get infected by drinking a glass of water (which is full of legionella). According to Schout, the bacterium is contaminated especially if it is spread in very small drops. If that ‘mist’ is inhaled, someone can become infected.