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Climate Change Is Bringing Legionnaire’s Disease to a Town Near You
This deadly bacteria, which hits low-income people the hardest, was once an “only in New York” problem. Extreme heat is now increasing its prevalence.
Air conditioners have been working overtime this hot summer, from those tiny window units to the massive AC towers that serve the tightly packed apartment buildings in major cities. Legionnaire’s is a particularly disconcerting health threat: It rains down from the sky in tiny invisible droplets, packed with bacteria so potent it can kill one in 10 people whom it manages to infect through its telltale aggressive pneumonia. The most important advice was to be vigilant about any public health warnings if you reside in an area where Legionella has historically lived or has recently been detected, especially if you have certain preexisting conditions like diabetes, chronic lung disease, or autoimmune disorders, or if you’re over the age of 50.
Or read this on Wired
