The number of cases of Legionnaires’ disease in Frederick County so far this year is higher than totals for the previous five years, though it is still relatively low, according to the Frederick County Health Department.
Darlene Armacost, program manager for communicable disease and preparedness at the Frederick County Health Department, said eight cases of Legionnaires’ disease have been diagnosed in the county so far this year, a slight increase over last year’s six cases and two reported cases in 2009.
The Howard County Health Department reported the death of an elderly man, a resident of the Lighthouse Senior Living facility in Ellicott City, during the past week.
So far, no other cases have been reported at the facility, a Howard County Health Department news release stated.
Statewide, 131 cases have been reported so far this year, Armacost said.
Over the past five years, a total of 27 cases have been reported in Frederick County.
Armacost said she was not certain what caused the increase this year.
Typically, the bacterium Legionella that causes the disease grows in water and can be found in community living settings, air-conditioning systems or shower heads, Armacost said. Older people and those with chronic lung disease or compromised immune systems are most at risk.
Lisa Gudmundson, communicable disease and outbreak nurse for the Frederick County Health Department, said one of the eight individuals was confirmed to have contracted the disease from an outbreak in an Ocean City hotel sometime in September or October.
Health officials do not consider any of the cases that have occurred this year in Frederick County to be outbreaks, Gudmundson said. About half of the cases occurred in community living settings. No deaths resulted from the infections, although Gudmundson said among the roughly 5 percent of people who contract the disease after being exposed to the bacteria, hospitalization is common.
Last September, two residents of the Tranquility Assisted Living Center in Frederick were hospitalized because of the disease.
Armacost said the county Health Department conducts extensive interviews and testing after a case of Legionnaires’ is discovered to try to identify the source.
Each year, between 8,000 and 18,000 people are hospitalized with the disease in the United States, although many infections are not diagnosed or reported, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The disease has symptoms similar to other forms of pneumonia, including high fever, chills and coughs, the CDC reports. Legionnaires’ disease can cause death in between 5 and 30 percent of cases.
People get the disease when they breathe in a mist or vapor containing Legionella, the CDC says. The bacteria are not spread from one person to another.
Copyright 2011 The Frederick News-Post. All rights reserved.
