Dallas Hit With Legionnaires' Disease Outbreak?
A person staying at a Dallas hotel near the Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport has been diagnosed with Legionnaires' disease, it was reported Wednesday.
The 100-room SuperMedia Hotel and Conference Center in Dallas closed its doors as a precautionary measure. The hotel has also cut off its water supply for protection purposes.
Legionnaires' disease is a potentially fatal condition similar pneumonia. It is spread through air-borne water particles and takes anywhere from two to 10 days to incubate.
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It is unclear where the hotel guest contracted Legionnaires, but the guest, whose identity has not been reported, has already been treated and released from a local hospital.
The disease typically effects people who are middle-aged or older and it is not typically associated with outbreaks. Primary symptoms include fever, chills, and a cough. Other symptoms can include muscle aches, headache, and fatigue.
Scotland has also been experiencing a Legionnaires' outbreak, which by Wednesday had infected 40 individuals. The outbreak was reported on May 31 and has thus far killed one man, who had underlying health problems prior to being infected with the disease.
The source of the Scottish outbreak is believed to come from 16 cooling towers at four sites in southwest Edinburgh. On Monday, all four sites were given a chemical "shock treatment" to clear the towers of any possible contamination.
The number of cases in Scotland were expected to rise until the weekend, as it can take up to two weeks for symptoms of Legionnaires' disease to appear.
The U.S. faces anywhere from 8,000 to 18,000 cases of Legionnaires' disease a year and the most deadly outbreak occurred in Philadelphia in 1976, resulting in 34 deaths.
