Dr. Asim Jani from Orlando Health visits the Fox 35 WOFL studio to talk about how to protect yourself against Legionnaires’ Disease.
Transcript
WE’LL BRING YOU THE LATEST UPDATES THROUGHOUT THE MORNING BUT FOR NOW, BACK TO YOU. THANK YOU, DANIELLE.WE’LL TIP TO UPDATE THROUGHOUT”GOOD DAY ORLANDO”.A HEALTH ALERT. SEVERAL CASES OF LEGIONNAIRES DISEASE, TWO L.A. FITNESS EMPLOYEES AND A SENIOR IN LAKE COUNTY, ARE INVESTIGATED AS POSSIBLE SOURCES FOR THE DISEASE. HERE TO TALK ABOUT MORE AND HOW TO PROTECT YOURSELF IS A DOCTOR FROM ORLANDO HEALTH. THANK YOU FOR COMING IN. LET’S TALK ABOUT HOW YOU GET LEGIONNAIRES’ DISEASE. LEGIONNAIRES’ DISEASE IS REALLY GIVEN THE NAME AFTER AN OUTBREAK THAT OCCURRED IN THE AMERICAN LEGION CONVENTION ABOUT 40 YEARS AGO. IT’S CAUSED BY A BACTERIA THAT IS TRANSMITTED VIA CONTAMINATED WATER, SO YOU HAVE TO BREATHE IN SMALL DROPLETS OF THE CONTAMINATED WATER. IT’S FOUND NATURALLY IN THE ENVIRONMENT AND SO JUST FINDING IT IN A SOURCE OF POTENTIAL WATER ISN’T SUFFICIENT ENOUGH. YOU HAVE ALSO HAVE TO BE SUSCEPTIBLE FOR GETTING THE INFECTION IN YOUR LUNGS AND CAUSES A GENERAL LOWER RESPIRATORY INFECTION, STOMACHSSTOVES OFCOCOUGH FEVER, YOU CAN ALSO GET NAUSEA VOMITING OR DIARRHEA, OREVEN CONFUSION.IN GENERAL, THE PERSON WHO GETS THE the INFECTION IN THEIR LUNGS AND DON’T NECESSARILY DO WELL people who ARE CHRONIC LUNGDISEASE OR CHRONIC heart disease, DIABETES, PEOPLE WHO MIGHT BE SMOKERS OR FORMER OR CURRENT SMOKERS, PEOPLE might have had EXPOSURE TOIMMUNE SUPPRESSING DRUGS, immune systems aren’t working well.WE HEAR IT COMING FROM AN AIR CONDITIONING OR A HOT TUB.IS IT A CLEANLINESS THING OR CAN YOU GET IT IN YOUR OWN HOME? THOSE ARE GREAT QUESTIONS. IT’S FOUND IN THE ENVIRONMENT SO CLEARLY, THERE’S NATIONAL FRESHWATER RESERVOIRS OR MAN-MADE RESERVOIRS. A LOT OF OUTBREAKS ON LARGESCALES HAPPEN AT HOTELS, CRUISESHIPS, EVEN CAN HAPPEN IN HEALTHCARE FACILITIES. I THINK THE MOST IMPORTANT THING IS THAT INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE IN CHARGE OF THOSE WATER SUPPLIES AND CARING FOR THEM ARE, YOU KNOW, EXERCISING THEIR PRUDENCE AND BEING VIGILANT AND ADHERING TO STANDARDS THAT PUBLIC HEALTH OFFICIALS WOULD REQUIRE.ALSO, INDIVIDUALS IN THE PUBLIC SHOULD BE AWARE IF THEY’RE AWARE OF POTENTIAL EXPOSURES TO CONTAMINATED WATER THAT’S PART OF UNSUPERVISED, THEN THEY DON’T WANT TO BE AROUND THOSE TYPES OF THINGS. A MIST OR A VAPOR OF AIR CONTAMINATED WATER IS THE MAINTHING. YOU CAN DIE FROM LEGIONNAIRESDISEASE? GENERAL THREE, IT’S A MILD, MODERATE, OR SEVERE INFECTION, BUT IT RANGES. IT TURNS OUT THERE’S ABOUT 15%OF PEOPLE WHO GET HOSPITALIZED CAN DIE, ESPECIALLY IF THEIR IMMUNE SYSTEMS AREN’T WORKING WELL. THE MOST IMPORTANT THING THAT PEOPLE SHOULD KNOW IS THAT IT’S NOT CONTAGIOUS FROM PERSON TO PERSON. YOU GET EXPOSED TO IT BY BEING IN CONTACT WITH THE DROPLETS, AND YOU BREATHE THOSE IN. ABOUT TWO OR THREE DAYS TO 14DAYS AFTER EXPOSURE, IF YOU DEVELOP SYMPTOMS OF COUGH, FEVER, SHORTNESS OF BREATH OR THOSE THINGS THAT WE TALKED ABOUT, THEN IT’S IMMEDIATELY IMPORTANT TO GO TO YOUR HEALTHCARE PROVIDER. ESPECIALLY IF YOU KNOW YOU’VE BEEN TO THIS GYM, YOU’VE GOT TO GO TO THE DOCTOR IF YOU’RE FEELING SICK.IF YOU’RE FEELING SICK.RIGHT, RIGHT. IT’S IMPORTANT TO KNOW THAT90% OF THE INFECTIONS WE SEE ARE SPUR RAD DAIK, NOT ASSOCIATED WITH OUTBREAKS OF CERTAIN CONTACTS. TRAVEL HISTORY IS IMPORTANT. IF YOU GO TO THE DOCTOR, TELL THEM WHAT’S GOING ON.UNFORTUNATELY, WE DON’T HAVE A VACCINE, BUT WE HAVE EFFECTIVE& THERAPIES THAT ARE AVAILABLE AND IT ISN’T DRUG-RESISTANT.
