CDC travel notice: Legionnaires’ disease in Cozumel

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has issued a travel notice today for US travelers going to Cozumel, Mexico.

There has been an ongoing outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease on the island of Cozumel at the following resorts: Regency Club Vacation Resort and Wyndham Cozumel Resort & Spa (formerly Reef Club Cozumel).

The CDC says there have been 9 confirmed cases of Legionnaires’ disease seen in both US tourists and tourists from the Netherlands that have stayed at the resorts.

The CDC recommends the following for US travelers:

Travelers at high risk of infection should consider staying at another resort or should avoid exposures to misty water at the Regency Club Vacation Resort and the Wyndham Cozumel  Resort & Spa, especially showering. High risk groups include:

• Current or former smokers
• People aged 50 or older
• People with any of the following chronic health conditions:
  • Diabetes
  • Chronic lung disease, such as COPD or emphysema
  • Weakened immune system that might be caused by cancer, organ transplant, or certain prescription drugs
  • Other chronic conditions, such as chronic kidney disease, asthma, heart disease, or liver disease

Rarely, people without any risk factors develop Legionnaires’ disease after exposure to Legionella.

Legionnaires’ disease gained national notoriety in 1976 when the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) discovered it during an epidemic of pneumonia among American legion members at a convention in Philadelphia.

The causative organism is the bacteria, Legionella pneumophila. The legionella bacteria are found throughout nature, because of this most people become exposed to it but few develop symptoms.

The primary place in nature it’s found is water sources particularly at warmer temperatures; lakes, rivers and moist soil.

It is also found in man-made facilities (frequently the source of outbreaks) such as air-conditioning ducts and cooling towers, humidifiers, whirlpools and hospital equipment.

People get exposed through inhaling infectious aerosols from these water sources. There is no transmission from person to person.

The infection can appear in two clinical forms: Legionnaires’ disease and Pontiac fever.

Both conditions are typified by headache, fever, body aches and occasionally abdominal pain and diarrhea.

Legionnaires’ disease is the cause of pneumonia where a non productive cough is typical. Fatality rates of this form of the infection are around 15 % even with improvements in treatment.

Pontiac fever is a self limiting flu-like illness that does not progress to pneumonia or death. Diagnosis is usually made by typical symptoms in an outbreak setting.

Diagnosis of Legionnaires’ disease depends on identifying the bacteria in microbiological culture, detecting the antigen in urine samples or a fourfold increase in antibody titer.

Certain health conditions make you more susceptible to infection to include increasing age, smoking, chronic lung disease, malignancy and diabetes mellitus.

Legionnaires’ disease is treatable with antibiotics.

For more information on Legionnaires’ disease