| Public
health is investigating four cases of legionnaires' disease and looking
for a common cause of the pneumonia. "The team is investigating where
they live, work and visit," Dr. Hamidah Meghani, a Hamilton associate
medical officer of health, said Friday. "We're trying to see if anything
links back on the cases. We're not seeing anything yet." The infection
is on the increase province-wide with 34 confirmed cases between June 1
and July 12. "Physicians have been alerted," Meghani said. The medical
advisory asks doctors to test patients with pneumonia for legionella,
which is a bacterium found mostly in warm-water environments such as hot
tubs, spas, fountains, hot water tanks, commercial cooling towers,
water distribution systems and showers. "It is not related to normal air
conditioners in homes and vehicles," Meghani said. The disease varies
in severity and can be fatal. It's not contagious, but caught by
inhaling droplets containing high numbers of the bacteria. The illness
is a type of pneumonia and is treated with antibiotics. Hamilton is one
of a small number of municipalities to have a bylaw regulating cooling
towers to prevent legionnaires' disease. The need for the bylaw became
apparent when 11 people took ill and one died during an outbreak in
downtown Hamilton in the summer of 2006. The city called on the province
to regulate the cooling towers before passing the bylaw in March 2009. |
| Biohazard desc.: | Viruses
and bacteria that cause severe to fatal disease in humans, and for
which vaccines or other treatments are not available, such as Bolivian
and Argentine hemorrhagic fevers, H5N1(bird flu), Dengue hemorrhagic
fever, Marburg virus, Ebola virus, hantaviruses, Lassa fever,
Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever, and other hemorrhagic or unidentified
diseases. When dealing with biological hazards at this level the use of a
Hazmat suit and a self-contained oxygen supply is mandatory. The
entrance and exit of a Level Four biolab will contain multiple showers, a
vacuum room, an ultraviolet light room, autonomous detection system,
and other safety precautions designed to destroy all traces of the
biohazard. Multiple airlocks are employed and are electronically secured
to prevent both doors opening at the same time. All air and water
service going to and coming from a Biosafety Level 4 (P4) lab will
undergo similar decontamination procedures to eliminate the possibility
of an accidental release. |
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