My husband and I have lived in the same apartment complex for a year. The water system was worked on prior to my husband getting Legionnaires’ disease. He works for the county as a utility worker and his recent job was to use a 6 foot flame torch wand powered by an air compressor. He blows debris, sand, water, etc. out of the cracks in the street. He always wears a shield to protect his face. He has been doing this work for about a month now.
At the beginning of February, he went to the dentist for a crown. The 2-14 day incubation period would have been from 2/3-2/16. In that period, he was admitted to the hospital and diagnosed with Legionnaires’ disease. He has been in the hospital for a month now, with two of the weeks in critical care. The CDC is unsure what the source may be. What scenario is the most plausible for contact with Legionnaires’?
The dental water is the most likely source. You now have a number of options. Show this message to your local health department or the CDC. They may or may not investigate. You should show this to your dentist as well, and ask him to contact us through our website or by telephone. We would culture the dental water to confirm the source and suggest disinfection methods to resolve the issue.