Legionella Outbreaks In Drinking Water Becoming More Common, Study Finds

Infectious Disease Advisor (5/9, Barowski) reports, “Outbreaks of Legionella in drinking water have increased over time and are the primary cause of hospitalization and mortality due to waterborne disease, according to study results published in MMWR Surveillance Summaries.” According to the study, “in public water systems, Legionella was the most implicated etiology and linked with 160 (92%) outbreaks, 666 (60%) incident diagnoses, 462 (97%) hospitalizations, and 68 (97%) deaths related to community and noncommunity water systems.”