This Tuesday, the governor of TucumanOsvaldo Jaldo, referred to the health situation in the population due to an outbreak of Legionella pneumonia, which originated in the Luz y Fuerza Sanatorium weeks ago.
The Governor of Tucuman maintained that today the situation is identified and controlled by the province and the nation, for which he highlighted the work carried out by the health authorities to manage the outbreak.
“This has happened in a specific private sanatorium and the province took the isolation measures in a timely manner. Imagine the number of people who work in that sanatorium and those who pass through there: how many could have been infected! However, the number was controlled,” said the president of Tucuman.
At the same time, the leader pointed out: “Not only was it discovered what it is about, but also what it is controlled with.” This will allow proper management of patients and prevent the spread of the disease.
“It is a bacterium that, through antibiotics, can be cured,” stressed Jaldo, who also explained that eight more cases were detected in the last few hours: this after expanding the selection criteria for patients.
So far, six people have died from the disease and four more remain hospitalized, two of them in serious condition. For their part, nine patients have moderate to mild symptoms and are treated at home.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), “between 75% and 80% of all reported cases in the world are people over 50 years of age”. Of that percentage, “between 60% and 70% are men.”
How is the disease transmitted
The Minister of Health of the provinceLuis Medina Ruiz, explained that the bacteria can be found in spaces such as pipes or air conditioners, so “Transmission occurs by inhalation, and not from person to person, either through the aspiration of contaminated water or through its aerosolization”.
And for contagion to occur, “it is necessary that the particles enter the person’s lung. The incubation period is between 2 and 10 days and mortality is 15% to 20%”.