The nation’s first public health bureau teaches that it is not immune to the complex effects of the coronavirus pandemic.
Recently, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention told staff that some office space it rents in the Atlanta area would be reopened after owners of the Legionella buildings, the bacterium that causes Legionnaires’ disease, discovered in water sources on the places. No employees became ill. The announcement was reported on Friday by CNN.
That the CDC is dealing with this problem highlights Legionella’s seriousness in the aftermath of coronavirus lockon, and how complicated it can be to prevent it.
The CDC itself warns that Legionnaires’ disease, a respiratory disease, can be fatal in 1 in 10 cases. Since several jurisdictions in the United States have introduced lockdowns to curb the spread of the new coronavirus, some experts have warned of the risk of Legionnaires’ outbreaks when people return to buildings for months. The bacterium that causes the disease, Legionella pneumophila, can form in warm, stagnant water that is not properly disinfected. If washing machines are switched on or toilets are flushed, the bacteria can then be sent through the air and inhaled.
While most previous research focused on the growth of Legionella during weekends and short holiday periods, scientists are only beginning to learn about how the bacterium proliferates during periods of long-term stagnation, and what methods are most effective to protect against it. .
“Legionella is something that, even though we’ve known it since the ’70s or so, we still learn about it every day,” said Caitlin Proctor, a postdoctoral fellow at Purdue University in Indiana who studied bacteria. under lockdown.
[Like the Science Times page on Facebook. | Sign up for the Science Times newsletter.]
Traditionally, flushing, turning on the process of, for example, taps and showers and sending fresh water through the building, can help. But the length of the shutdown during the coronavirus outbreak put owners of buildings facing new challenges.
The CDC has published voluntary guidelines to build owners and property managers with the goal of preventing Legionella from spreading as facilities reopen. But Andrew Whelton, an associate professor of civil, environmental and ecological engineering at Purdue as well, thinks the guidelines are often not specific enough.
“This is by design,” he said. “In general, federal guidance issued is generic, and what building owners need is prescribed advice.”
“It is possible that these guidelines were not sufficient,” said Drs. Proctor.
States, counties and cities also have their own rules which in some cases may not be in line with the advice of the CDC.
The coronavirus breaks out>
Frequently Asked Questions
Updated August 6, 2020
-
Why are bars linked to outbreaks?
- Think about a bar. Alcohol flows. It may be loud, but it’s perfectly intimate, and you often have to pull close to hear your friend. And strangers have way, way less reservations about arriving at people in a bar. That’s kind of the point of a beam. Feeling good and close to strangers. It is therefore no surprise that bars have been linked to outbreaks in several states. Louisiana health officials have linked at least 100 cases of coronavirus to bars in the Tigerland nightlife district of Baton Rouge. Minnesota has 328 recent cases to track around the state. In Idaho, health officials close down bars in Ada County after reporting clusters of infections among young adults who visited several bars in Boise downtown. Drivers in California, Texas and Arizona, where cases of coronavirus have increased, have lined up hundreds of newly opened bars to close. Less than two weeks after Colorado’s bars were re-restricted with limited capacity, Gov. Jared Polis has closed.
-
I have antibodies. Am I immune now?
- At the moment, that probably seems like at least several months. There have been horrific accounts of people suffering what appears to be a second bolt of Covid-19. But experts say these patients may have a prolonged course of infection, with the virus taking a slow toll weeks to months after initial exposure. People infected with the coronavirus typically produce immune molecules called antibodies, which are protective proteins made in response to an infection. These antibodies may only last two to three months in the body, which may seem worrying, but that is perfectly normal after an acute infection progresses, said Dr. Michael Mina, an immunologist at Harvard University. It could possibly get the coronavirus back up, but it is highly unlikely that it would be possible in a short window of time from initial infection or the second time safe.
-
I am a small business owner. Can I get relief?
- The incentive letters introduced in March offer help to the millions of American small businesses. Those eligible for assistance are non-profit companies and organizations with less than 500 workers, including sole proprietorships, independent contractors and freelancers. Some larger companies in some sectors are also eligible. The assistance provided, which is managed by the Small Business Administration, includes the Paycheck Protection Program and the Economic Damage Disaster Program. But many people have not yet seen benefits. Even those who have received help are confused: the rules are draconian, and some are stuck on money they do not know how to use. Many small business owners get less than they expected or heard nothing at all.
-
What are my rights if I am worried about returning to work?
-
What will school look like in September?
- It is unlikely that many schools will return to a normal schedule this fall, requiring grinding online learning, probationary childcare and stunted workdays to continue. California’s two largest public school districts – Los Angeles and San Diego – said on July 13 that instruction will be remote only in the fall, citing concerns that growing coronavirus infections in their areas pose too great a risk to students and teachers. Together, the two districts enroll about 825,000 students. They are the largest in the country to date to abandon plans for even a partial physical return to classes when they reopen in August. For other districts, the solution will not be an all-or-nothing approach. Many systems, including the nation’s largest, New York City, are hybrid plans to spend some days in classrooms and other days online. There is no national policy yet, so check regularly with your municipal school system to see what is happening in your municipality.
Some buildings require, depending on how long they have been locked up, a higher dose of acid than is traditionally used. The CDC’s post-lockdown guidelines are not specific about how much flushing is needed and often buildings do not fly long enough or through the entire building
It is unclear whether the managers of the buildings where the CDC closes its offices, have followed the published guidelines of the bureau or another set of rules. A CDC spokeswoman said in a statement that “during the recent closures of our leased space in Atlanta,” the agency, which works through the federal Department of Public Services, provides offices for much of the U.S. government. , “the landlord had directed to take protective actions.”
Dr Whelton said building owners were often not communicating enough with their tenants about water management plans.
“The CDC is a tenant,” he said, “just like many companies across the country who need to rely on the good will and belief of building owners to do the right thing.” For any business, it can be difficult to ensure that appropriate measures are taken for their offices.
The affected CDC buildings will be closed until the problem is fixed.
“That the CDC cannot prevent Legionella contamination in its buildings is a sign that we should all be proactive about this issue,” said Drs. Proctor.
