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Health authorities have detected the presence of legionella, on the 10th, in the cooling towers of the Longa Vida Distribution Center, in Perafita, municipality of Matosinhos (Porto), the dairy company reported this Friday.
In a statement, Longa Vida, which had “preventively” closed the cooling towers due to a legionella outbreak, reports that the “results that have just been communicated this afternoon by the health authorities to Longa, in the presence of Legionella pneumophila in the cooling towers of the Long Life Distribution Center in Perafita on November 10 ”.
However, the dairy company assures that “it has not received information on the correlation between the presence of this bacterium” in the cooling towers and the origin of the outbreak that hit the north of the country.
Legionnaires’ disease, caused by the bacteria. Legionella pneumophila, is contracted by inhaling contaminated water vapor droplets (aerosols) so small that they carry the bacteria to the lungs, depositing it in the pulmonary alveoli.
Longa Vida guaranteed that it “carries out regular checks” on the cooling towers and that it “always showed an absence” of legionella. The detection of this bacterium “does not affect the quality and safety of the products,” adds the company.
According to the Northern Regional Health Administration (ARS), 85 people have been diagnosed with the disease since October 29, of which 14 remain hospitalized and nine have died. As a “precautionary measure”, the Matosinhos Local Health Unit (ULS) suspended the operation of the Longa Vida cooling towers and the Ramírez canning plant, both in the municipality of Matosinhos.
Ramírez and the Mar shopping center, also in Matosinhos, had already announced that the presence of legionella in the analyzed infrastructures.
The Municipality of Matosinhos guaranteed that it is “closely following the evolution of the outbreak with concern.” Regardless of the municipality where the facilities are located, the important thing is that the outbreak has been identified and that this situation can be overcome soon, ”the municipality explains.
Last week, the Prosecutor’s Office announced the opening of an investigation to investigate the causes of the outbreak.
