Factors Associated with Detection in the Water Systems of National Lodging Organization Facilities with Water Management Programs in the United States.

A better understanding of risk factors and the predictive capability of water management program (WMP) data in detecting are needed to inform the efforts aimed at reducing growth and preventing outbreaks of Legionnaires' disease. Using WMPs and testing data from a national lodging organization in the United States, we aimed to (1) identify factors associated with detection and (2) assess the ability of WMP disinfectant and temperature metrics to predict detection. We conducted a logistic regression analysis to identify WMP metrics associated with serogroup 1 (SG1) detection.

Automated cooling tower detection through deep learning for Legionnaires' disease outbreak investigations: a model development and validation study.

Background: Cooling towers containing Legionella spp are a high-risk source of Legionnaires' disease outbreaks. Manually locating cooling towers from aerial imagery during outbreak investigations requires expertise, is labour intensive, and can be prone to errors. We aimed to train a deep learning computer vision model to automatically detect cooling towers that are aerially visible.

Shiga Toxin-Producing Escherichia coli O157:H7 Illness Outbreak Associated with Untreated, Pressurized, Municipal Irrigation Water - Utah, 2023.

During July-September 2023, an outbreak of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli O157:H7 illness among children in city A, Utah, caused 13 confirmed illnesses; seven patients were hospitalized, including two with hemolytic uremic syndrome. Local, state, and federal public health partners investigating the outbreak linked the illnesses to untreated, pressurized, municipal irrigation water (UPMIW) exposure in city A; 12 of 13 ill children reported playing in or drinking UPMIW. Clinical isolates were genetically highly related to one another and to environmental isolates from multiple locations within city A's UPMIW system.

Surveillance of Waterborne Disease Outbreaks Associated with Drinking Water - United States, 2015-2020.

Problem/condition: Public health agencies in U.S. states, territories, and freely associated states investigate and voluntarily report waterborne disease outbreaks to CDC through the National Outbreak Reporting System (NORS).

Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Water Management Program Performance across a United States Lodging Organization.

, the bacterium that causes Legionnaires' disease, can grow and spread in building water systems and devices. The COVID-19 pandemic impacted building water systems through reductions in water usage. growth risk factors can be mitigated through control measures, such as flushing, to address stagnation, as part of a water management program (WMP).

Estimating Waterborne Infectious Disease Burden by Exposure Route, United States, 2014.

More than 7.15 million cases of domestically acquired infectious waterborne illnesses occurred in the United States in 2014, causing 120,000 hospitalizations and 6,600 deaths. We estimated disease incidence for 17 pathogens according to recreational, drinking, and nonrecreational nondrinking (NRND) water exposure routes by using previously published estimates.

Legionnaires' Disease Outbreak Associated With a Hot Tub Display at the North Carolina Mountain State Fair, September 2019.

Objectives: On September 23, 2019, the North Carolina Division of Public Health identified a legionellosis increase in western North Carolina; most patients had recently attended the North Carolina Mountain State Fair. We conducted a source investigation.

Methods: Cases were fair attendees with laboratory-confirmed legionellosis and symptom onset within 2 to 14 days (Legionnaires' disease) or ≤3 days (Pontiac fever).

Dialysis Water Supply Faucet as Reservoir for Carbapenemase-Producing Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

During June 2017-November 2019, a total 36 patients with carbapenem-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa harboring Verona-integron-encoded metallo-β-lactamase were identified in a city in western Texas, USA. A faucet contaminated with the organism, identified through environmental sampling, in a specialty care room was the likely source for infection in a subset of patients.

Potential Association of Legionnaires' Disease with Hot Spring Water, Hot Springs National Park and Hot Springs, Arkansas, USA, 2018-2019.

Legionella pneumophila is the cause of Legionnaires' disease, a life-threatening pneumonia that occurs after inhalation of aerosolized water containing the bacteria. Legionella growth occurs in stagnant, warm-to-hot water (77°F-113°F) that is inadequately disinfected. Piped hot spring water in Hot Springs National Park, Arkansas, USA, has naturally high temperatures (>135°F) that prevent Legionella growth, and Legionnaires' disease has not previously been associated with the park or other hot springs in the United States.

A Methodology for Classifying Root Causes of Outbreaks of Legionnaires' Disease: Deficiencies in Environmental Control and Water Management.

We piloted a methodology for collecting and interpreting root cause-or environmental deficiency (ED)-information from Legionnaires' disease (LD) outbreak investigation reports. The methodology included a classification framework to assess common failures observed in the implementation of water management programs (WMPs). We reviewed reports from fourteen CDC-led investigations between 1 January 2015 and 21 June 2019 to identify EDs associated with outbreaks of LD.

Safe Use and Storage of Cleaners, Disinfectants, and Hand Sanitizers: Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices among U.S. Adults during the COVID-19 Pandemic, May 2020.

Cleaning and disinfection of frequently touched surfaces and frequent hand hygiene are recommended measures to prevent transmission of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, poison center calls regarding exposures to cleaners, disinfectants, and hand sanitizers have increased as compared with prior years, indicating a need to evaluate household safety precautions. An opt-in Internet panel survey of 502 U.

Knowledge and Practices Regarding Safe Household Cleaning and Disinfection for COVID-19 Prevention - United States, May 2020.

A recent report described a sharp increase in calls to poison centers related to exposures to cleaners and disinfectants since the onset of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic (1). However, data describing cleaning and disinfection practices within household settings in the United States are limited, particularly concerning those practices intended to prevent transmission of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. To provide contextual and behavioral insight into the reported increase in poison center calls and to inform timely and relevant prevention strategies, an opt-in Internet panel survey of 502 U.

Reducing Legionnaires' Disease in Public Spas.

Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows improper maintenance of public spas increases risk for Legionnaires' disease. Legionnaires' disease affects thousands of individuals each year and represents a signifcant public health burden, with a 10% case fatality rate and an estimated annual hospitalization cost burden of $433 million. CDC's Model Aquatic Health Code (MAHC) offers critical guidance for reducing the risk of Legionnaires' disease in public aquatic facilities.

Vital Signs: Health Care-Associated Legionnaires' Disease Surveillance Data from 20 States and a Large Metropolitan Area - United States, 2015.

Background: Legionnaires' disease, a severe pneumonia, is typically acquired through inhalation of aerosolized water containing Legionella bacteria. Legionella can grow in the complex water systems of buildings, including health care facilities. Effective water management programs could prevent the growth of Legionella in building water systems.

Vital Signs: Deficiencies in Environmental Control Identified in Outbreaks of Legionnaires' Disease - North America, 2000-2014.

Background: The number of reported cases of Legionnaires' disease, a severe pneumonia caused by the bacterium Legionella, is increasing in the United States. During 2000-2014, the rate of reported legionellosis cases increased from 0.42 to 1.

Immediate Closures and Violations Identified During Routine Inspections of Public Aquatic Facilities - Network for Aquatic Facility Inspection Surveillance, Five States, 2013.

Problem/condition: Aquatic facility-associated illness and injury in the United States include disease outbreaks of infectious or chemical etiology, drowning, and pool chemical-associated health events (e.g., respiratory distress or burns).

Legionnaires' Disease Outbreak at a Long-Term Care Facility Caused by a Cooling Tower Using an Automated Disinfection System--Ohio, 2013.

On July 9, 2013, an outbreak of Legionnaires' disease (LD) was identified at Long-Term Care Facility A in central Ohio. This article describes the investigation of the outbreak and identification of the outbreak source, a cooling tower using an automated biocide delivery system. In total, 39 outbreak LD cases were identified; among these, six patients died.