The screen-wash you buy has some kind of preservative to prevent legionella, but it is a risk for people who use plain water and washing up liquid, especially older folk or babies so I always warn people about this as I had it. I had Legionnaires in 2009 after returning from a stint in the Islamic Republic of Iran during the big protests against Ahmedenijad. I had stayed in a new apartment for 10 days that had been built a year before but left unoccupied and was waiting for my flight. The first shower I had, the water in the iron pipes smelled a bit rusty and sulphurous. A week later I was back home and developed a cough that got worse over a week until I couldn't breathe as my lungs had filled with salty water. I went to GP and she called infectious diseases unit only to find they close at weekends to went to GP Referral in A&E and they were shocked I was up and about and lay me down and sent me straight to a ward. With intravenous antibiotics it was getting better immediately and went home 4 days later. It took 9 months to feel normal again.
Also, at work people come and turn all the taps on once a week and tick it on a clipboard and people come out and flush the pipes every year with chlorhexidine gluconate.
There are no confirmed cases of women catching it and none of people catching it a second time. About 30 people a year die from it in the UK.
Last edited by snapdragon; 30th April 2016 at 05:10 PM.
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