I Caught Legionnaires Disease in Pattaya and Almost Died

[owenm]

Thanks Mitker for your advice. Years ago I had an ioniser air filtration system and the filter used to get so dirty, so was doing its job, and the ions converted the positive ions to never ions which really purified the air. I should perhaps look at the purchase of one before my move. A decent quality brand with spare ion needles and filters being readily available. I don't know whether you can get any with washable filters. I think they are replacement cartridge filters when they're filthy??

[owenm]

Arro, just goes to show that there are so many different bugs that one can pickup. And you sound so lucky that the doctors at the hospital knew what to check for and got you on the correct AB, seeming 1,2 and 3 were resistant.

[tango]

You also may want to steer a wide berth away from those fans spraying water mist to cool you down. Again do you really believe the proprietors disinfect the containers? FWIW.

 

As for the cloth facemasks, I'd read that they protect others from you; not necessarily you from them: for the latter you'd need to wear a 3M Particulate Respirator mask, HEPA, N100, N95, or equivalent, as was used against the bird flu.

 

Facemasks: "They prevent large droplets of bodily fluids that may contain viruses from escaping the nose and mouth. They also protect the wearer against splashes and sprays from others, such as those from sneezes and coughs. However, they do not prevent the inhalation of small, airborne contaminants.

Respirators: These are certified by the CDC and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). Respirators, also called N95 respirator masks, are designed to protect the wearer from small particles in the air that may contain viruses. The name comes from the fact that they can filter 95 percent of airborne particles (CDC, 2012). These N95 masks are also often used when painting or handling potentially toxic materials."

 

Re: http://www.healthline.com/health/cold-flu/mask

   

[owenm]

Thanks tango, this extra info is appreciated.

[belg]

and so bad you cannot even name the hotel in question in fear of demafation laws...

 

 

[moe666]

I was directly involved in two of the famous outbreaks in the U.K. The Stafford Hospital and the BBC. Since I was involved in the manufacture and installation of over 1,000 car washes and water recycling plants through out Europe and the rest of the world I had a lot of finger pointing at recycled water as a source of legionella outbreaks. In fact this is not the case as I discovered after contacting the Germ Warfare Establishment at Porton Down. The main facts are that the water must be atomised below a 5 micron droplet size (you cannot see below 25 micron). Car washes, fountains and the like produce large droplets that cannot enter the base of the lungs where infection can occur.

 

The second fact is that if you are, or were, a smoker you will have damaged the bodies natural defence against infection, that is the scilia(small hairs in you lungs that sweep contaminents out of your lungs. In the case of the Staffordshire Hospital the Staffs Health Authority were blaming our bus wash opposite, however with my advice from Porton Down they traced it tothe Airconditioning system. The cause being a dirty blow down pipe trap which allowed contaminated water to be introduced into the humdifiers. The air humidifiers of course atomise the water below 5 micron which you cannot see, and the legionella bacteria if present will enter the up lungs of personnel. However, if you are over 50 and a smoker you run a risk of contracting the disease as you will have damaged you natural defences.

 

Again, with the BBC outbreak, they were blaming their vehicle wash and water recycling system, as one of their drivers contracted the disease. However after talking to them they found that the problem was with their cooling towers on the roof of BBC house.

Cooling towers need to be treated on a daily basis toensure no bacteria growth. You have it spot on about the water drops, if too big cannot enter the lungs if too small cannot carry the bacteria. They have found the bacteria over 3 miles from the source of contamination. What was the blow down pipe connected to that contaminated the humidifiers. The water if a surface source could have been   contaminated at source and if the blowdown on humidifier didn't work properly then it allowed the levels of bacteria to reach danger levels.

 

My knowledge comes from being a industrial water treatment mechanic, we treated towers and closed loop systems as well as boilers.