Urgent summer health alert about a deadly disease that can spread in hot tubs
- Failure to clean hot tubs and shower heads can cause legionnaires’ disease
- The life-threatening bacteria has symptoms similar to pneumonia
Summer revelers today were reminded of a serious bacterial infection that can lurk in hot tubs.
Legionnaires’ disease, which can cause life-threatening pneumonia, can also be spread through air conditioning units, faucets, and showers.
Dr. Simon Clarke, a microbiologist at the University of Reading, said the legionella bacteria responsible can be found in almost ‘everything’.
This includes a “complex plumbing system, shower heads, jetted tubs and decorative fountains,” he added.
Dr. Clarke told MailOnline: ‘It has even been found in car wash bottles filled with tap water instead of windshield washer detergent.
The bacteria that causes legionnaires’ disease can lurk in swimming pools, hot tubs and shower heads. If you own a hot tub or home spa, it is essential that you regularly drain, clean and disinfect it
‘Complex air conditioning systems can sometimes become contaminated.
“But the types of air conditioners you find in cars and in the home don’t use water, so that’s not a problem.”
Legionella usually thrives in large buildings, such as hotels and office buildings, where it grows in the water supply.
It is especially a problem in warm climates, where the heat helps it reproduce.
Swimming pools and dirty air conditioning units are common sites of contamination, as they can accumulate warm, stagnant water that is dispersed into the air as droplets and then inhaled.
But the bacteria, which occur naturally in fresh water, can also be found in showers and taps that have not been used for a few days.
Therefore, some experts recommend vacationers to run taps and showers before coming into contact with the water.
About half of the 300 Britons who become infected with the legionella bacteria each year contract it abroad.
Once the infection is diagnosed, doctors refer to the condition as Legionnaires’ disease.
Symptoms include coughing, difficulty breathing, and chest pain.
The average death rate is about one in ten. But in those with weakened immune systems, such as patients with rheumatoid arthritis or kidney failure, it can be as high as 30 percent.
Health and safety guidelines say the hot water supply should be kept at a minimum of 50C as the bug cannot survive in this heat.
Similarly, cold water should be below 20C to stop bacterial growth.
At home, you can reduce the risk of legionnaires’ disease by removing any buildup around shower heads, as this can trap water, says Asthma and Lung UK.
The charity adds that if you have any showers or taps you haven’t used recently, you should flush them with running water for five minutes every two weeks.
If you own a hot tub or home spa, it is also essential that you regularly drain, clean and disinfect it.
While anyone can get Legionnaires’ disease and infection isn’t unheard of in the UK, Dr Clarke says it’s not something people should ‘be concerned about on a daily basis’.
But some people are at higher risk of infection.
People over the age of 45, smokers and former smokers, those with lung disease, a drug or alcohol addiction, those with a compromised immune system or long-term chronic health problems such as diabetes or kidney failure are at greater risk of getting sick, according to Asthma and Lung UK.