PALM SPRINGS (California, US), March 13 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Public health officials are sounding the alarm about a cluster of Legionnaires’ disease in the Coachella Valley that includes two deaths and more than a dozen hospitalizations.
Twenty cases have hospitalized 14 people, two of whom – a Riverside County resident and a visitor to the area – have died, according to the Riverside University Health System-Public Health.
The cases were reported to public health officials between the Fall of 2021 and early 2022 in Palm Springs, Palm Desert, and surrounding communities.
Legionnaire’s disease is a type of pneumonia that can be contracted by breathing in aerosolized water containing Legionella bacteria, typically from cooling towers, hot tubs, cooling misters, decorative fountains, and plumbing systems. It is treatable with antibiotics and is not spread from person to person.
However, seniors, especially those who smoke cigarettes, or people with weakened immune systems, chronic lung disease or other chronic health conditions are at increased risk for Legionnaire’s disease.
The source of illness and the extent of the spread is not known. An investigation into the cases is ongoing with help from the California Department of Public Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“The risk to anyone who lives in Palm Springs, Palm Desert, and surrounding areas is low,” Dr. Geoffrey Leung, public health officer for Riverside County, said in a statement. However, anyone living in the area who develops pneumonia-like respiratory symptoms, including fever, chills, cough, shortness of breath, muscle aches, and headache, should see their doctors. — NNN-AGENCIES
