Turning the Tide: The Role of Water Management to
Prevent Legionnaires’ Disease
Presented on .
The May session of Grand Rounds, “Turning the Tide: The Role of Water Management to Prevent Legionnaires’ Disease,” was viewed in 7 foreign countries, 48 states, and the District of Columbia.
Reports of Legionnaires’ disease (LD) cases and outbreaks are increasing in the United States. LD is a serious lung infection caused by breathing in small water droplets containing Legionella bacteria. Outbreaks are commonly associated with buildings or structures that have complex water systems, such as hotels and resorts, long-term care facilities, hospitals, and cruise ships.
Legionnaires’ disease can be prevented with effective water management programs. This session of Public Health Grand Rounds will discuss preventive approaches for federal, state, and local authorities, along with an innovative water management program toolkit and online training program.
Rates of Legionnaires’ disease are increasing in the United States. Dr. John Iskander and Dr. Shantini Gamage discuss prevention practices, successes, and the complex challenges required in managing such outbreaks, as well as the Veterans Health Administration’s promising water management program.
Learn more
https://www.cdc.gov/legionella/index.html
https://www.cdc.gov/legionella/wmp/toolkit/index.html
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6324594/external icon
Use of respiratory therapy equipment, such as a CPAP machines are an exposure source for Legionella. How do individual’s who use the devices protect themselves? Does the VA provide information to their patients when prescribing this type of equipment?
People using CPAP machines, including those in VA, should follow the manufacturer’s directions, which likely recommend using distilled water. Distilled water has been boiled, so any Legionella that may have been there would be killed.
Does CDC recommend that staff from the public water system be a part of a building’s Water Management Plan team?
CDC recommends developing an ongoing dialogue with your drinking water provider so that you are aware of changes that may affect your building’s water supply. It would be up to the Water Management Program team whether to list the provider as being on the team.
- Laura A Cooley, MD, MPHTM, Commander USPHS
- Medical Epidemiologist
Respiratory Branch, National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, CDC
"A Watershed Moment: The Increasing Challenge of Legionnaires’ Disease in the United States"
- Jasen Kunz, MPH, REHS, Commander USPHS
- Environmental Health Officer
Water Food and Environmental Health Services Branch
National Center for Environmental Health, CDC
"Prevention Begins with Water Management"
- Tori Burket, MS
- Waterborne Disease Epidemiologist
Legionella Coordinator
Communicable Disease Branch
Colorado Disease Control & Environmental Epidemiology Division
Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment
"Get With the Program: Evaluating Barriers to Water Management Implementation from the State Perspective"
- Shantini Gamage, PhD, MPH
- Associate Director
National Infectious Diseases Service
Veterans Health Administration, US Department of Veteran Affairs
"Preventing Legionnaires’ Disease in the Healthcare Setting: The National VA Experience”"
- John Iskander, MD, MPH
- Scientific Director
- Phoebe Thorpe, MD, MPH
- Deputy Scientific Director
- Susan Laird, MSN, RN
- Communications Director
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- Presentation Slide Deck pdf icon[PDF - 4 MB]
- Legionella (Legionnaires' Disease and Pontiac Fever)
- Preventing Legionnaires’ Disease: A Training on Legionella Water Management Programs (PreventLD Training)
- Toolkit: Developing a Water Management Program to Reduce Legionella Growth and Spread in Buildings
- 16) Legionnaires Disease Surveillance in US Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Facilities and Assessment of Health Care Facilityexternal icon
CDC Course Code: PHGR10
CPE UAN: 0387-0000-19-005-H04-P
For more information, see Grand Rounds Continuing Education.