How do start preventing Legionnaire’s Disease in Your Home? Legionnaires’ disease is a form of bacterial infection that can cause serious complications in the respiratory system.. It can be cured successfully with the right treatment regimen, but it also posts a high mortality rate. Urgent medical attention should be provided as soon as the infection sets in. Unfortunately the problem with this disease is that the symptoms may look very much like symptoms of common respiratory problems. Sadly, this means many patients don’t seek the help of a doctor until the condition becomes gravely serious..
To clarify, the disease is contracted through exposure to Legionella bacteria, which thrives and multiplies in warm water systems. The bacteria live inside water droplets, they enter our bodies through inhalation of contaminated mist or fine water droplets. Large water systems are usually the most susceptible to Legionella growth. That’s why places that are determined to be at risk include water systems in hotels, hospitals and nursing homes. There have been some cases wherein the mist from a cooling fan in a supermarket was traced as the source of Legionnaires’ disease that affected a number of shoppers.
Rented Property
However, there is also a risk of contracting the disease even from the water sources at home. People living in large buildings and apartment complexes should check with their landlord if the network of water pipes in the property is free from bacteria. Other components of the home, such as swimming pools, hot tubs, Jacuzzis and fountains were also identified to be potential carriers of Legionella. Therefore, proper cleaning, disinfection and maintenance should be implemented to avoid bacterial growth.
Attention is recommended for the maintenance of water heaters, these have been traced as a source of the bacteria. Your shower head or faucet can be harbouring them without you knowing. Health authorities say that maintaining the right temperature for the water and regular use of the water systems to avoid stagnant water are two ways to prevent contamination. On a larger scale, municipal officials should also make sure water in the community is treated properly with chlorine to prevent the access of disease-causing microbial waterborne pathogens.
Another critical step to preventing Legionnaire’s Disease in your home is to invest in home testing for Legionella bacteria. AquaCert sell affordable and easy-to-use kits you can purchase on this site to screen your water for potential contamination. Usually, all you need to do is to send samples of your hot water to our testing centre and wait for the laboratory results. (We provide the sterile sample bottles and courier bag). Our specialists will provide free recommendations according to the outcome of the tests. We are here to help you with your next action steps in keeping your home disease-free.