We have rented a vacation condo for June, at which time one of the members of our family will be a four month old baby. There have been recent reports of Legionnaires’ disease in this condominium building. Will it by safe by June to take my newborn there, and are newborns more at risk of contracting the disease?
Legionella is contracted most commonly by aspiration of water containing Legionella. You probably have consumed Legionella in drinking water for years without contracting Legionnaires’ disease. The individuals with greatest risk in the general population are elderly cigarette smokers. The risk to you and your newborn is extremely low. Newborns have been reported to contract Legionnaires’ disease, but almost always in the hospital where the hospital water supply is contaminated.