CDC Releases New Information on Legionella

In this week’s Vital Signs, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released new information and tools to help deal with an increase in Legionnaires disease.  Materials available include a fact sheet on Legionnaires disease, infographics related to Legionella and Legionnaires disease, and links to many resources on Legionella.   One alarming statistic shared on the site, is a fourfold increase in cases of Legionnaires disease since 2000.
The Vital Signs site shares new material from CDC and elsewhere to help address this increase in a disease that is fatal in about 10% of cases.

One of the links is to the newest industry standard (ASHRAE 188 – 2015) – “Legionellosis: Risk Management for Building Water Systems”.  CDC has developed their own companion document, “Developing a Water Management Program to Reduce Legionella Growth & Spread in Buildings”, to help facilities implement the water management plan process outlined in the ASHRAE standard.  This tool kit guides building owners and managers through the whole process, from determining if the building is at risk, developing and implementing a plan and determining if the plan is being effective.  All of these materials complement EPA’s information on Technologies for Legionella Control.