Multiple confirmed cases of Legionnaires in Lee County

A dangerous disease is making its way through Southwest Florida.

There are eight confirmed cases in Lee County this month and 48 total for this year so far, but it is treatable with antibiotics.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, people can contract Legionnaires‘ by breathing in mist containing legionella bacteria.

You can catch it through contaminated water. Hot tubs, hot water tanks, and even large, unmaintained air conditioners can have the bacteria growing in them, causing people to breathe it in.

“People can get it from breathing in water mists. It can be from water, it can be from soil,” said Jay Gupta, Associate professor in the Department of Health Sciences and Director of the Public Health Program at Florida Gulf Coast University.

And that is exactly how neighbor Jeff Sterner says three women in St. James City caught legionnaire disease after they were pulling weeds.

“All three of them got sick almost immediately after pulling these weeds,” said Sterner.

You can cure the disease with antibiotics, but unfortunately, Sterner told WINK News two of the women passed from underlying health issues.

“People who are, as you say, immunocompromised. That is, the immunity is not functioning properly. So these people are, of course, at a higher risk,” said Gupta.

So, how can you prevent getting this disease?

To prevent it, good maintenance of water systems is essential, as well as personal hygiene and not going in dirty, smelly water.

“This bacteria likes to survive in stagnant and warm water,” said Gupta. “So whenever such conditions are generated, the weather is warm, and water systems are not properly cleaned, they get, and they get a suitable environment to grow and thrive.

WINK News also asked Dr. Benjamin Abo, Medical Director of the Sanibel Fire & Rescue District, what symptoms you should look out for.

“It’s similar to other pneumonia, so you get a cough, you can get shortness of breath, high fever, muscle aches, headaches, and then also, around half of the time, you also get GI symptoms like nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea,” said Abo.

We can’t confirm how the patients got infected because of Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) regulations, but if you have any of those symptoms, make sure to see a doctor.