TAZEWELL COUNTY, Ill. — Since July of this year, Tazewell County has seen four confirmed cases of Legionnaires’ disease.
Legionnaires’ disease is a very serious type of pneumonia caused by a bacteria in water droplets. The bacteria, Legionella, lives in fresh water and rarely causes illness. However, Legionella can grow if water is not properly maintained.
Man-made water sources become a health care problem when small droplets of water that contain the bacteria get into the air and people breathe them in.
In general, people do not spread Legionnaires’ disease to other people.
Many of the symptoms experienced by someone with Legionnaires’ disease mimic those of someone with COVID-19.
“Symptoms for Legionnaires’ disease can include cough, shortness of breath, muscle aches, headaches and fever,” said Tazewell County Health Department Communications Manager Sara Sparkman.
Sparkman said a lot of the common sources of Legionnaires’ disease is showers, fountains and hot tubs.
To determine if someone does have the disease, a chest X-Ray is done to see if pneumonia is present, according to Sparkman. If it is present, then a doctor may order tests on a sample of urine to see if the infection is caused by Legionella.
Most people who get sick need care in a hospital but make a full recovery. However, about 1 in 10 people who get Legionnaires’ disease will die from the infection, according to the CDC.
