There’s no shortage of water here in Southwest Florida. “Where we live so close to the water where irrigation for our lawn hot tubs in the back swimming pools. We’re exposed to water constantly,” said Lee Health Nurse Practitioner Arnold Facklam.
Facklam said living in paradise means we have a higher risk of catching Legionnaires Disease. “The problem is when people get infected with this bacteria healthy people will end up in the hospital. Notice I said will end up in the hospital not may.”
Facklam said he sees cases here every year. The disease is spread through Legionella bacteria. If the bacteria gets in the water, becomes aerosolized, and then you breathe it in, you can become infected.
How do you know if you may have it? “You might expect fever, chills, productive cough, fever can go as high as 104 and can also have other symptoms, but besides respiratory people can have abdominal pain they can have diarrhea and it can also cause mental confusion,” said Facklam.
If you have those symptoms, it is important to talk with your healthcare provider because treatment is available. “Because it’s a bacteria, the first line is antibiotics,” said Facklam.
People over 50 and those who are immunocompromised are at a higher risk. Talk with your doctor if you have any concerns.
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Lee Health in Fort Myers, FL is the largest network of health care facilities in Southwest Florida and is highly respected for its expertise, innovation and quality of care. For more than 100 years, we’ve been providing our community with personalized preventative health services and primary care to highly specialized care services and robotic assisted surgeries. Lee Health - Caring People. Inspiring Care.
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