With the weather hotting up, everyone\'s getting excited for summer. It\'s bikini season, time to jump in the pool, Jacuzzi or steam room, time to go on holiday. And while it\'s easy to remember to pack sunscreen to protect your skin or mosquito repellent to keep the bugs at bay, it\'s less likely you\'ll take measures to avoid a more insidious danger: Legionnaires\' Disease.
Nobody likes to hear scary stories while they\'re getting ready to hit the beach, but Legionnaires\' Disease is a very real concern. Anybody can catch it, though the elderly, youngsters and those who may be ill already can be most at risk. And getting sick is a sure-fire way to spoil a holiday. I must make it clear at this point that I\'m involved with the water hygiene industry through my company; we sell legionella control software to businesses. But what about members of the general public? We have been genuinely shocked about how little people know about the disease and how it is contracted. How can we avoid getting Legionnaires\' Disease on holiday, where health and safety practises may not be what they are in the UK?
Legionnaires\' Disease, or legionella, is a type of pneumonia which is potentially fatal. It is a non-contagious disease; it is contracted by breathing in contaminated water droplets. These water droplets could come from a variety of places. These can include hot tubs, swimming pools or spas, but a large percentage of cases come from showers. Legionella bacteria prefer stagnant water and ambient temperatures. They can survive in low temperatures, though their rate of growth and multiplication will be reduced, but 20 ˚C to 45˚C is ideal for them; they thrive in this temperature range. And the ideal temperature for a hot tub? 30˚C to 40 ˚C.
It\'s reasonable to assume that on a holiday you\'d be more likely to use facilities like these than you would at home, which automatically raises your chances of contracting legionella. What about if you avoid spa days and hot tubs though, and just lay on the beach?
Unfortunately one of the most common ways of contracting legionella is through having a shower. Legionella is more likely to occur in water features that haven\'t been used for some time and where, as a consequence, the water has been lying stagnant. In the UK it is recommended that water should not lie stagnant for more than 7 days. It\'s very possible that the room you are in has been empty for longer than that. And on top of that, if you are lucky enough to be visiting a hot country, the water may well be sitting in the20˚C to 45˚C temperature range. You can contract legionella from showers, taps, spas, hot tubs, pools and fountains. In fact, anything on a water system could be contaminated. In the UK and much of the rest of the world there are strict guidelines for the prevention of legionella and other water-borne diseases, but it is never safe to assume that it will be fine based on the country you are in or the price of the hotel. There have been cases of legionella outbreaks in some of the most expensive places to stay in the world.
So what can you do? Nobody wants you to miss out on holidays, to curl into a ball and only use your own bathroom. Now you are aware of the risks, there are ways you can stay safe. Dennis Kelly of Pro Lp Consulting Ltd, a legionella consultant, gives the following advice: ‘When I get to a hotel room, I use a plastic bag, put it over the shower head to collect the water and then turn the shower on. Do this for a minute or two and then pour the water from the bag down the shower drain. This will significantly reduce the risk of exposure to legionella from the shower. The same can be done for taps- particularly if they are spray type taps. Avoid using pools and hot tubs if they don\'t look clean.
‘And when you return from holiday be sure to give your own bathroom the same treatment. After all, it won\'t have been used in a week or possibly even longer.\'
Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/wellness-articles/legionnaires-disease-simple-precautions-for-your-holiday-5966313.html
Author: jemma beedie
No comments:
Post a Comment