The Minister of Health of the Nation, Carla Vizzottitraveled to Tucumán and confirmed that the outbreak of cases of bilateral pneumonia that has already infected 11 people and caused the death of 4 has its origin in a bacterium called “legionella”.
“What there is is an outbreak of legionella with bilateral pneumonia; in some patients they are serious, they are serious”, Vizzotti recounted.
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The minister sought to bring peace of mind and said that all pertinent measures are being taken to contain the outbreak. “The contagion is by inhalation,” she explained.
How did the Legionella outbreak originate?
The disease was detected in private sanatorium Medical Light of San Miguel de Tucumán. The first symptoms appeared between August 18 and 22.
According to the local Ministry of Health, case zero was registered under the name of Margarita Zerda, 70 years old. The woman entered the sanatorium for gallbladder surgery. As she was hospitalized, contracted the disease and died on Thursday, September 1.
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Virus in Tucumán: what is legionella and what are the symptoms
Legionellosis, a disease caused by the virus legionellacan range from mild conditions with fever to some life-threatening forms of pneumonia, as detailed by the World Health Organization (WHO) on your website.
“It is caused by exposure to Legionella species present in water and potting soil mixes. It is often classified as community-acquired, travel-acquired, or hospital-acquired, depending on the type of exposure.