Safed hospital quarantines baby with Legionnaires’ disease
1-year-old hospitalized with high fever, shortness of breath; Health Ministry investigating source of contamination
A 1-year old baby was quarantined Sunday at the Ziv Medical Center in Safed after he was diagnosed with Legionnaires’ disease, a form of pneumonia transmitted by the Legionella bacteria found in unclean water.
The hospital said it was cooperating with the Health Ministry in order to try and discover the source of the contamination.
The baby was rushed to the hospital in northern Israel with a high fever and shortness of breath. The child also suffers from Down syndrome and severe asthma.
Comprehensive examinations and chest X-rays revealed that the baby had the disease, and he was promptly quarantined at the children’s intensive care ward.
Legionnaires’ disease is usually spread by breathing in mist that contains the Legionella bacteria. There is no vaccine.
Symptoms include cough, shortness of breath, high fever, muscle pains, and headaches. Nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea may also occur in some cases.
The symptoms normally appear several days after being infected. Full recovery may take several weeks.