The nation’s first public health bureau teaches that it is not immune to the complex effects of the coronavirus pandemic.
© Audra Melton for The New York Times
CDC headquarters in Atlanta. The agency had to re-close some office space it leased after Legionella bacteria was discovered in water supply.
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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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.
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