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Hastings man Ian Clayton contracted Legionnaires’ disease from the potting mix.
Coughing up blood and lying on his back for six days, Ian Clayton had plenty of time to think about his gardening.
And about how to avoid getting Legionnaires’ disease in the future.
Clayton of Hastings is one of two people to have contracted the disease recently, prompting the Hawke’s Bay DHB to tell gardeners to be careful and wear protective gear when handling potting mix and compost.
An avid gardener, Clayton, 59, was using potting mix to plant seedlings in his greenhouse.
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He was not wearing a mask or gloves.
Recently, two people have been hospitalized in Hawke’s Bay after contracting Legionnaires’ disease.
“You read the labels on the potting mix and you don’t do anything about it,” he said.
“That will never happen again in my life,” he said.
Two days after his gardening he felt bad. It started with a fever and flu-like symptoms, but it soon progressed.
“I was lying on my back for six days, coughing up blood … I slept seven hours in seven days,” he said.
He was diagnosed with legionnaires in the emergency department at Hawke’s Bay Hospital and spent three days in the hospital.
Rachel Eyre, a Hawke’s Bay DHB medical health officer, said both cases were investigated and found to be likely due to inhalation of dust particles from the potting mix. Like Clayton, the other case made a full recovery.
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Compost and potting mixes are great for stimulating plant growth, but they can also be fertile ground for one of the insects that cause Legionnaires’ disease.
“Gardeners are at increased risk for Legionnaires’ disease because Legionella bacteria that live in moist organic material thrive in bags of potting mix and compost, ”Eyre said.
“Cases tend to increase in New Zealand in early November, but in Hawke’s Bay we typically see cases reported starting in September, attributed to our increased landscaping activity,” he said.
Symptoms can include cough, fever, chills, diarrhea, shortness of breath, headaches, vomiting, and / or diarrhea. Legionnaires’ can be fatal.
Eyre recommended that people use potting soil or compost in a well-ventilated outdoor area, open compost or compost bags carefully and away from their face with scissors, and moisten the potting mix or compost with a pinch of water to reduce dust, to avoid touching your face.
“If possible, wear a mask and disposable gloves that fit well, but don’t touch the mask while gardening,” he said.
