What Goes Around Comes Around

Two infectious diseases are making the rounds again this summer with outbreaks of Legionnaires pneumonia and cyclosporiasis. The Legionnaires outbreak is centered in the Upper East Side of New York City. There have been increasing cases with deaths reported. It’s a bacterial disease that can cause serious pneumonia.  

The cyclosporiasis outbreak is much larger with clusters across numerous states involving thousands people.  This is an intestinal parasite that can cause severe stomach cramping, vomiting and diarrhea. 

Legionnaires disease is caused by a bacterium called Legionella pneumophila and is commonly found in household plumbing and in building cooling systems.  Cooling towers are implicated in the New York city outbreak that began this summer.   

The other outbreak involving cyclosporiasis usually appears in late spring and summer and is caused by fecal contaminated fresh herbs, vegetables and fruit. Most of the cases have been reported in Illinois, New York, Michigan, and Texas.  Public health officials estimate that the outbreak is much larger since many people don’t see the doctor for diarrhea.  

Some states report a two-fold greater number of cases compared to last year and yet we still are not sure what’s causing the outbreak.  This happens when food is processed with fecal contaminated water or there’s improper hygiene during food preparation. Always wash your hands after bathroom use and for now, you may want to avoid packaged greens and fruits with bumpy surfaces that are hard to wash clean.