8 interesting facts about legionella

1- Legionella bacteria are often found in lakes, ponds and rivers. In these water sources however they are often found at a level so low that they are considered harmless.

2- Symptoms usually take around 7 days to show and can consist of headaches, muscle pain, fever, chills, coughing and shortness of breath.

3- The most common transmission of Legionella is by inhaling contaminated aerosols, aerosolised water can easily enter the lungs and spread infection.

4- An recent study has shown that legionella can spread by about 6 kilometres away from the source by air.

5- There are over 60 different species of Legionella. These species are most commonly found in soil and aquatic environments.

6- Symptoms of legionnaires disease appear approximately 2 days to 2 weeks after exposure to the bacteria

7- Legionella is not contagious and cannot be spread from person to person; the only way to get it is to inhale water particles with the bacteria in them.

8- A good way of avoiding legionella from a tap you haven’t used for a while is to let the tap  run for several minutes before use. For showers, let the shower run for several minutes on its highest heat before getting under it.