Gyeonggi Health and Environment Research Institute Conducts Legionella Bacteria Tests at Over 260 Large Facilities in the Province

[Asia Economy (Suwon) = Reporter Lee Young-gyu] Gyeonggi Province is launching an emergency inspection for 'Legionella bacteria' (Legionellosis) targeting large supermarkets and other facilities within the province.

The Gyeonggi-do Institute of Health and Environment announced on the 29th that it will conduct Legionella bacteria tests at about 260 locations, including large supermarkets and bathhouses in the province, from July to October to prevent Legionellosis, an infectious disease common in summer.

Legionellosis is a legally designated infectious disease of the third class caused by the proliferation of Legionella bacteria invading the respiratory system.

Symptoms upon infection may include headache, high fever, chills accompanied by pneumonia, and the fatality rate reaches 10% (30% in severe cases).

The Institute of Health and Environment, in cooperation with city and county governments, will inspect Legionella contamination in cooling tower water, cold and hot water from faucets and showers at multi-use facilities such as hospitals, department stores, apartment complexes, and large bathhouses, where air conditioner use surges in large buildings during summer. The inspection results will be reported to the city and county governments, which will take measures such as cleaning and disinfection.

Oh Jo-gyo, director of the Institute of Health and Environment, emphasized, "To protect the health of residents during the hot summer, we will thoroughly monitor environmental management of multi-use facilities to prevent the spread of respiratory infectious diseases caused by Legionella bacteria."

Meanwhile, the number of domestic Legionella patients increased from 128 in 2016 to 367 last year, with a total of 1,499 cases confirmed over five years. Among them, 347 cases occurred in Gyeonggi Province, accounting for 23%.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.