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Legionnaires’ Disease Resources for Environmental Health Professionals

Sampling and testing materials kit.

Did you know that 66% of waterborne disease outbreaks are caused by Legionella bacteria?

Preventing Legionnaires’ disease requires understanding the environmental factors that allow Legionella bacteria to survive and reach a susceptible host. Environmental health practitioners have essential expertise to both respond to Legionnaires’ disease outbreaks and prevent future ones.

Working with epidemiologists and public health laboratorians, environmental health practitioners need to be proficient in applying environmental interventions in outbreak settings. Environmental health response in Legionnaires’ disease outbreaks contributes to improved prevention practices. Additionally, practitioners can help translate lessons learned from outbreak response into evidence-based prevention guidance for building owners and managers.

Explore these CDC resources for environmental health professionals:

Photo of a doctor showing a patient an ex-ray of her lungs.

CDC Vital Signs on Legionnaires’ Disease: A Problem for Health Care Facilities – Explore CDC’s 2017 report and resources, including a practical guide, infographic, fact sheet, podcasts, and more.

Vital Signs: Health Care–Associated Legionnaires’ Disease Surveillance Data from 20 States and a Large Metropolitan Area — United States, 2015 – Read CDC’s 2017 Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) on Legionnaires’ disease in health care facilities and how effective water management programs could prevent the growth of Legionella in building water systems.

CDC Vital Signs on Legionnaires’ Disease: Use Water Management Programs in Buildings To Help Prevent Outbreaks

CDC Vital Signs on Legionnaires’ Disease: Use Water Management Programs in Buildings To Help Prevent Outbreaks – Explore CDC’s 2016 report and resources, including a practical guide, infographic, fact sheet, podcasts, and more.

Vital Signs: Deficiencies in Environmental Control Identified in Outbreaks of Legionnaires’ Disease — North America, 2000–2014 – Read CDC’s MMWR on the increase in Legionnaires’ disease, causes, and prevention opportunities.

Developing a Water Management Program To Reduce Legionella Growth & Spread in Buildings: A Practical Guide To Implementing Industry Standards – Develop and implement a water management program to reduce a building’s risk for growing and spreading Legionella.

Water System Maintenance – Review information on maintaining building water and recreational water systems for the prevention of disease.

Photo shows people taking water samples from a hot tub.

Environmental Investigation Tools – Investigate legionellosis outbreaks with these resources, including an environmental assessment form and sampling procedures.

Environmental Investigation Videos – View instructional videos that explain Legionella ecology, conducting environmental assessments, and various sampling techniques.

Photo of the We Were There logo featuring Legionnaires Disease.

History, Mystery, and Discovery: 40 Years of Legionnaires’ Disease – View this CDC webinar to hear scientists discuss experiences from early investigations, how they solved the 2015 Legionnaires’ disease outbreak in New York City, and more insights from the 40-year history of this disease.

Cover image of the Journal of Environmental Health.

Preventing Legionnaires’ Disease: Environmental Health Expertise Is Key [PDF – 472 KB] – Explore the role of environmental health professionals in preventing and responding to Legionnaires’ disease in this column in the Journal of Environmental Health.

Legionnaires’ Disease Outbreak at a Long-Term Care Facility in Ohio, 2013 [PDF – 688 KB] – An outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease was identified at a long-term care facility in central Ohio. This article describes the outbreak investigation and identification of the source, a cooling tower using an automated biocide delivery system.

Photo of an outdoor HVAC air conditioner unit located on a high-floor porch of a New York skyscraper.

A Large Community Outbreak of Legionnaires’ Disease Associated With a Cooling Tower in New York City, 2015 – Read this new report about an outbreak in an NYC cooling tower in 2015.

To learn more, visit CDC’s comprehensive Legionella (Legionnaires’ Disease and Pontiac Fever) website with background on Legionnaires’ disease, symptoms, resources for clinicians, etc.

EHS Resources

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