Legionella
E-news -- 9 December 2003
**IN
THIS ISSUE**
1. 28 cases and 2 deaths in Hereford, UK
2. Hot Spring Standards Considered in Japan
3. Full CDC Guideline Now Available
4. A Survivor's Story
5. Live Internet Courses Thursday and Friday
==================================================================
1. 28 CASES AND 2 DEATHS IN HEREFORD, UK
==================================================================
Cooling towers at a cider plant in the west of England, in Hereford, are
being blamed for 28 cases of Legionnaires' disease that occurred in
October and November. Two persons have died, a man in his 70s and a
woman in her 50s. Health experts confirmed that the Legionella strain
found in patients matched the strain found in samples collected from a
cooling tower at the site. Source: news media
==================================================================
2. HOT SPRING STANDARDS CONSIDERED IN JAPAN
==================================================================
With the number of hot springs on the rise in Japan, the government is
considering measures to maintain quality, according to a report
published 9 December 2003 in The Daily Yomiuri. Improved drilling
technology has led to more wells because the deeper the well, the easier
it is to find hot spring sources. But drilled wells produce less water
than do natural hot springs. Although
water will flow on its own initially from a well that has been bored,
the natural output will sometimes stop after a few months, requiring
pumps from then on. Many resorts that suffer hot water shortages add
ordinary water to the hot spring water, which is then recirculated. Such
was the case at the resort where 295 cases of Legionnaires' disease,
including 7 deaths, occurred in Japan in July 2002 (see Legionella
E-news, 31 July and 3 September, 2002).
There are currently no regulations regarding the depth of wells,
the use of pumps, or adding, reheating, and recirculating water. The
Environment Ministry has therefore decided to conduct a survey and to
develop guidelines based on the results.
==================================================================
3. FULL CDC GUIDELINE NOW AVAILABLE
==================================================================
The full version of the (US) CDC's Guideline for Environmental Infection
Control in Heath-Care Facilities is now posted at http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/hip/enviro/Enviro_guide_03.pdf.
==================================================================
4. A SURVIVOR'S STORY
==================================================================
Although this newsletter is focused almost exclusively on the scientific
and technical aspects of Legionella, it's appropriate to include an
occasional reminder that the bottom line is not about biofilm or piping,
but about people. Many thanks to Denis Green for providing the link to
this story, which apparently is the journal kept by the survivor's
brother during her battle with Legionnaires' disease. You can read it at
http://home.pacific.net.au/~cliff_watson/christine_difesa.htm.
==================================================================
5. LIVE INTERNET COURSES THURSDAY AND FRIDAY
==================================================================
People are finding these live Internet courses a fun and economical way
to gain practical knowledge and earn CEUs. Sign up now at https://www.keysecure.com/hcinfo.com/satelliteregform.htm
so that you can get log-in instructions for the following courses:
*
Thursday, 11 Dec 2003, 9:00am Pacific:
Waterborne Pathogens: Illness, Prevalence, and Risk Reduction
Strategies (taught by Kelly Reynolds, PhD).
*
Friday, 12 Dec 2003, 9:00am Pacific:
Legionnaires' Disease: Update on Diagnosis, Treatment,
Microbiology, Environmental Monitoring, and Disinfection (Janet Stout,
PhD)
*
Thursday, 16 Dec 2003, 9:00am Pacific:
Reducing the Risk of Legionella in Cooling Towers (taught by Matt
Freije)
Each
course is about 90 minutes in length and costs US$159. Anyone who signs
up for all three courses by 6:00pm Pacific Time on Wednesday 10 December
will receive a discounted price of US$399 (just write "Legionella
E-news Discount" in the comments box at https://www.keysecure.com/hcinfo.com/satelliteregform.htm).
For
more information on the courses, go to http://www.hcinfo.com/satellitecourseinfo.htm.
*******************************************************************
*******************************************************************
*******************************************************************
(c)
Copyright 2003, HC Information Resources Inc. You have permission to
send this newsletter to others, post it on your web site, or include it
in listserv posts, under the strict condition that you include the
following notice to properly credit the source: "Excerpted from
Legionella E-news, a free e-newsletter available at http://hcinfo.com."
THANK
YOU!
Matt
Freije, Editor
HC Information Resources Inc.
Tel: 760-494-3063
Fax: 619-839-3166
hcinfo@hcinfo.com
http://hcinfo.com
|
