United States: Hospital authorities at Rady Children’s San Diego identified the potentially dangerous bacterium Legionella in their facilities’ infrastructure.
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The spokesperson from the hospital stated, “A low level of Legionella bacteria was detected in one of the hospital’s inpatient units (on Monday, officials said one person had tested positive for the bacteria).”
“Legionella is a common bacteria found in water that typically poses little risk to healthy individuals,” nbcsandiego.com reported.
“People can inhale the bacteria through contaminated water,” as Dr. Tom Csanadi, who has practiced pediatric medicine for 30 years, stated.
The entire water supply system at Rady Children's Hospital had to be disinfected overnight after a potentially deadly bacterium, Legionella, was detected. https://t.co/Q9Fnu8dgYG
— CBS 8 San Diego (@CBS8) April 1, 2025
He explains that plumbing and HVAC systems found in big establishments such as Rady Children’s Hospital provide an environment where these bacteria can reproduce.
The CDC states that breathing in air that carries Legionella bacteria causes most people to get sick.
The CDC website explains that Legionella presents a minimal threat to healthy people but delivers its greatest danger to individuals who are currently or previously smoked or are elderly or facing health difficulties.
“It’s a bacterial infection. The vast majority of people who get exposed to the bacteria do not get sick, but those that do can develop pneumonia, or a more significant version,” as Dr. Csanadi stated.
The symptoms of this infection appear between two to three days following contaminated exposure and primarily activate with fever plus cough, shortness of breath, and headache followed by nausea and body discomfort.
A low level of Legionella was detected in one of the inpatient units at Rady Children’s Hospital.https://t.co/LEudcdXLWI
— FOX 5 San Diego (@fox5sandiego) April 1, 2025
“You bring your kid to the hospital, you want it to be a safe environment, you can only do so much with bottled water,” as Price stated, NBC 7 reported.
The issue concerns Jovon Price and numerous other parents who show alarm. NBC 7 received information from a viewer who reported hospital staff members washed their hands with water bottles combined with baby wipes.
By adopting preventative measures, the hospital uses water system sanitization procedures to eliminate potential infectious risks, according to its official spokesperson.
Hospital representatives stated that the disinfection process would end on Sunday night, which would restore normal water service by Monday morning.