Legionnaires' disease outbreak in greater Moncton reaches 9, could grow

The legionnaires' disease outbreak in the greater Moncton area has climbed to nine, with two new cases of the severe form of pneumonia confirmed on Friday, says theprovince's deputy chief medical officer of health.

And the number of cases could continue to increase in the coming days, said Dr. Cristin Muecke.

Theincubation period after exposure to thelegionella bacteria can beup to two weeks, and Public Health officials have not yet identified the source, she said.

"So that means even if a source were to be identified and controlled today, it is still possible for the next week or two that we would see new cases of people who had been exposed before that happened."

We are obviously putting all of our resources towards this to ensure that it is controlled as quickly as possible.- Cristin Muecke, deputy chief medical officer of health

The majority of the nine people with the diseasehave been hospitalized, said Muecke.

She declined to release details about their condition, citing privacy, but did say they are all adults and most are over the age of 50.

Legionella bacteriacan befoundin both natural bodies of water and man-made water systems, such as large air-conditioning units.

Health officials believe all nine cases are related because the affected individuals all live or work in the greater Moncton area, and all have fallen ill within the past month.

But the individualsdon't all live or work in the same locations or in the same building, which makes tracking down the source more challenging, said Muecke.

"We are obviously putting all of our resources towards this to ensure that it is controlled as quickly as possible," she said.

Health officials are conducting extensive interviews with those affected to determine their usual activities and map out their locations.

They're also seeking input from colleagues in other provinces who have dealt with similar outbreaks before.

"There's certainly a lot of moving parts, and we need to work with multiple partners both within the city and within the health care system to make sure that we're covering all our bases. But we will be putting all of our efforts towards figuring this out."

Anyone who inhales mist or steam containing the bacteria can develop the disease, also known as legionellosis.

It can be treated with antibioticsbut often requires hospitalization and can be fatal if left untreated.

Anyone exhibiting pneumonia-like symptoms, such asfever, chills, cough, shortness of breath, muscle aches and headache, is encouraged to seek medical attention or to call Tele-Care, the province's health information line, at 811.

Symptomsusually start between two and 14days after exposure to the bacteria and can also include mental changes, such as confusion, disorientation, hallucination and memory loss.

Complete recovery can takeseveral months.

Who's at risk

Those considered most at risk include people over the age of 50, people with weakened immune systems or chronic diseases, andsmokers and alcoholics.

People who workwith constructedwater systems, such as air-conditioning system maintenance workers, are also considered at increased risk,said Muecke.

Air-conditioning units in homes and cars do not use water to cool, so they don't pose a risk.

Legionnaires' disease can be diagnosed based on clinical symptoms and confirmed by testingsamples from the lungs, blood and urine.

In New Brunswick, 28 cases of legionnaires'disease were reported to the provincial government between 2015 and 2018.