Health officials in New Brunswick are completing “extensive” interviews with patients this weekend and waiting for lab results, as they investigate the source of a legionnaires’ disease outbreak in Moncton.
The province declared the outbreak on Friday, after six cases were reported in two weeks.
“In this region, typically we see a few cases occur late summer, early fall, which is not unusual,” Dr. Yves Léger, the regional medical officer of health, told Global News on Sunday.
“But seeing such a high number of cases in such a short period of time is definitely unusual.”
He said his department is trying to find any common exposures among the six patients, and have sent samples in for testing to see whether the bacteria is the same type. That will indicate whether there is a single source for these infections.
“Given the increase in numbers in such a short period of time, that’s my concern. We are taking steps to investigate that and try to confirm that,” he said.
Legionnaires’ disease is caused by bacteria called legionella that can be found in natural bodies of water, such as ponds, lakes and streams, and in constructed water systems, such as air conditioners, cooling towers, whirlpools, spas and decorative fountains.
In cooling towers, the bacteria can be dispersed into the air and then carried by the wind for kilometres.
“When the conditions are right, bacteria can grow, and then if there are mists that are created that allow that bacteria to go into the air and spread, people can breathe it in,” Léger said.
Symptoms are similar to those of pneumonia, and can include fever, shortness of breath, new or worsening cough, headache and muscle ache.
People who are older, the immunocompromised, smokers, and people with diabetes are at a higher risk of serious illness.
Léger admitted the symptoms resemble those of COVID-19, so he stressed anyone who notices these symptoms should seek medical attention to find out what the reason is. He said his department is also sending a memo to health care providers to remind them to consider legionnaires’ disease in their diagnoses.
“So when they see patients in front of them who have those symptoms, we certainly don’t want them to just think of COVID, we want them also to think about legionnaires,” he said.
Second outbreak in Moncton
In 2019, an outbreak of legionnaires’ disease in Moncton involved 16 cases and sent 15 people to hospital.
It was the first time the province had investigated an outbreak of the illness.
Léger said health officials will be drawing from that experience this time around.
“There was a lot of learnings in regards to how to collect samples, which laboratories could provide that kind of support for testing, for typing,” he said.
“A lot of those learnings will serve us well, I think, this time around and help to expedite things.”
The 2019 outbreak was eventually traced back to a cooling tower, but the province initially would not reveal the location of the tower.
Cannabis producer Organigram later admitted and apologized for its involvement in the outbreak — confirming high levels of legionella bacteria had been detected in its external cooling towers on the roof of its Moncton site.
The company said it took continuous proactive measures since then to contain levels within “acceptable limits.”
A recommendation out of the 2019 outbreak was that the province keep a registry of cooling towers.
Léger said on Sunday that he’s been told the province is working with local government on that process, but that it’s not complete.
“I don’t think it’s a complete registry at this point, there still needs to be engagement of all the larger municipalities and adoption of that template, or registry process,” he said.
He said investigators will have to rely on the list of cooling towers that they collected back in 2019 as they investigate this current outbreak. He said they are “pulling that list out now and preparing for their use” and working with the City of Moncton to obtain more information.
— With a file from Callum Smith