Systematic and multi-level inspections must be conducted on the water supply systems of older air conditioners, humidifiers, and anything else that could cause droplets, emphasizes Dr. Zoi Dorothea Pana, Professor of Pediatrics and Epidemiology and Dean of the UNIC School of Medicine, Dr. Zoe Dorothea Pana, speaking on the “Alpha Enimerosi” program, following the diagnosis of a newborn with Legionnaires’ disease at a private hospital.
She also noted that, in addition to the newborn diagnosed with Legionnaires’ disease, the remaining newborns currently at Makareio Hospital must also be monitored because, due to the incubation period, they could, theoretically speaking, develop some symptoms.
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“Therefore, the newborns who were in the same area as the newborn who tested positive should be monitored in the coming days.”
Dr. Pana emphasizes the need for systematic, multi-level monitoring of cultures, including at the hospital level.
“These findings should be reported and discussed, in practical terms, in infection control committees, because we are now talking about—if this is the case here, we don’t know yet—a hospital-acquired infection, along with the controls being carried out by the Ministry of Health within the framework of hospital safety.”
She points out that special emphasis must be placed on groups requiring respiratory support, intensive care units, and neonatal units.
Regarding the name of the disease, Dr. Pana notes that it was given in the 1970s, when perhaps the largest outbreak ever recorded worldwide was documented, at a conference in the United States attended by veterans, including a group of legionnaires; thus, the disease was named after them.
He also explains that the disease causes severe lower respiratory tract infections, noting that the global mortality rate can reach as high as 5% to 10%, except among newborns, where the mortality rate can be much higher.
