The nation’s foremost public health agency is learning that it is not immune to the complex effects of the coronavirus pandemic.
Recently, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention told employees that some office space it leases in the Atlanta area would be closed again after property managers of the buildings discovered Legionella, the bacteria that causes Legionnaires’ disease, in water sources at the sites. No employees were sickened. The announcement was reported on Friday by CNN.
That the C.D.C. is contending with this problem highlights the seriousness of Legionella in the aftermath of coronavirus lockdowns, and how complicated it can be to prevent it.
The C.D.C. itself warns that Legionnaires’ disease, a respiratory illness, can be fatal in 1 in 10 cases. Since various jurisdictions in the United States have put in effect lockdowns to contain the spread of the new coronavirus, some experts have been warning of the risk of Legionnaires’ outbreaks when people return to buildings left unoccupied for months. The bacteria that causes the illness, Legionella pneumophila, can form in warm, stagnant water that is not properly disinfected. When sinks are turned on or toilets flushed, the bacteria can then be sent through the air and inhaled.
While most earlier research focused on the growth of Legionella during weekends and short holiday periods, scientists are only beginning to learn about how the bacteria proliferates during periods of long-term stagnation, and which methods are most effective to protect against it.
“Legionella is something that even though we’ve known about it since the 1970s or so, we’re still learning about it everyday,” said Caitlin Proctor, a postdoctoral fellow at Purdue University in Indiana who has been studying the bacteria during lockdown.
Unlock more free articles.
Create an account or log in
[Like the Science Times page on Facebook. | Sign up for the Science Times newsletter.]
Traditionally, flushing, the process of turning on taps and showers, for example, and sending fresh water through the building, can help. But the length of the lockdown during the coronavirus outbreak is saddling building owners with new challenges.
The C.D.C. has published voluntary guidelines to aid building owners and property managers aiming to prevent Legionella from spreading as facilities reopen. But Andrew Whelton, an associate professor of civil, environmental and ecological engineering also at Purdue, thinks that the guidelines are often not specific enough.
“This is by design,” he said. “Generally, federal guidance that’s issued is generic, and what building owners need is prescriptive advice.”
AI
Market Data 
Markets 
