Concern is growing in the San Siro district of Milan, where an outbreak of legionellosis has been confirmed which has affected 11 people, also leading to the death of an elderly woman with previous pathologies. There are 8 patients currently hospitalized while the ATS of the Metropolitan City of Milan is currently conducting intensive investigations to identify the exact source of the contamination.
Water analysis
The work of the ATS technicians is concentrating above all in the area around Via Rembrandt, where the affected people live. Water sampling is underway in their apartments, in the common parts of the buildings and in other places defined as “sensitive”: areas with complex water systems, public spaces with systems that generate aerosols or structures where water stagnation could occur.
The results of the laboratory analyzes are expected in the next few days and will be decisive in understanding whether there was a specific point of proliferation of the bacterium.
At the same time, the ATS continues epidemiological surveillance to monitor any new cases and precisely trace the movements and habits of the affected people, who – according to reports – do not know each other and do not frequent the same places.
Registered cases
As already mentioned, there are currently 11 confirmed cases of legionellosis, with 8 people still hospitalized. All patients would present predisposing conditions, such as chronic diseases, advanced age or fragile immune systems, factors that increase the likelihood of developing more serious forms of the infection.
The victim, health sources report, was a very elderly person and already suffering from other pathologies.
What is Legionella and how does it spread?
Legionella is a bacterium naturally present in aquatic environments. It can proliferate in water systems, pipes, tanks and air conditioning systems when favorable conditions occur, such as stagnant water, the presence of encrustations and temperatures between 25 and 45 °C.
Contagion occurs only through inhalation of tiny contaminated droplets of water (aerosol). This can happen by using showers, faucets, whirlpools or other systems that spray infected water.
It is important to underline that there is no person-to-person transmission, you cannot become infected by drinking the water and that well-maintained systems represent a very low risk.
How serious is the situation? At the moment, no new cases have been recorded in addition to those already identified. However, the ATS’s priority is to quickly identify the area or plant from which the contamination originated to avoid further exposure.
The presence of cases distributed in different buildings in the same area suggests that the source may be located in a point outside the individual homes, but only the sampling results will be able to confirm this.
What citizens can do to reduce the risk
While waiting for the official results, experts recall some good practices useful for limiting the proliferation of Legionella in domestic systems:
