CDC Closes Several Offices Over Bacteria Discovery

The country’s most important public health department has learned that it is immune to the complex effects of coronavirus pandemics.

Recently, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention told employees that some of the office space leased in the Atlanta area was closed again after building property managers found legionella bacteria, the bacterium that causes legionellosis, on site. I said. No employee was ill. Announcement Reported by CNN on Friday..

The CDC’s work on this issue highlights the seriousness of Legionella in the aftermath of the coronavirus blockade and how complex it is to prevent it.

CDC itself Warns of local military illness, Respiratory diseases can be fatal in 1 in 10 cases. Some experts say that various jurisdictions in the United States are effectively blocking to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus. The risk of a legion when people return to the building with months left empty.. The disease-causing bacterium, Legionella pneumophila, forms in warm, stagnant water that has not been properly sanitized. When the washbasin is on, or when the toilet is flushed, bacteria are sent into the air and inhaled.

Most previous studies have focused on the growth of Legionella during weekends and short vacations, but scientists have found how bacteria grow during periods of long stagnation, and how to prevent it. Are beginning to learn what is most effective in.

“Legionella bacteria are learning about it every day, even if they’ve known it since the 1970s,” said Caitlin Proctor, a post-doctoral fellow at Purdue, Indiana, who studies bacteria during lockdown. ..

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Traditionally, flushing, for example the process of turning on the faucet or shower and sending fresh water to the building is helpful. However, the period of blockade during the outbreak of coronaviruses poses new challenges for building owners.

of CDC publishes voluntary guidelines To assist building owners and property managers who want to prevent the spread of Legionella bacteria when the facility is reopened. However, Andrew Herton, also an associate professor of civil engineering, environmental engineering and ecological engineering at Purdue University, believes that the guidelines are often not specific enough.

“This is by design,” he said. “Generally, federal guidance issued is general, and what owners of buildings need is prescriptive advice.”

“These guidelines may not have been sufficient,” said Dr. Proctor.

States, counties, and cities also have their own rules, which may not be consistent with CDC’s advice.

Some buildings require higher doses of chlorine than previously used, depending on the length of time they are locked down. CDC post-lockdown guidelines do not specify how much flush is needed, and in many cases buildings do not flush long enough or throughout the building.

It is unclear whether the managers of the buildings that the CDC closed their offices were following the guidelines issued by government agencies or another set of rules. A CDC spokesperson said in a statement, “During the recent closure of our lease space in Atlanta,” an agency operating through the Federal Department of Internal Affairs, which provides offices for many of the US governments, “acts protection to the landlord. “

Dr. Wellton said building owners often did not communicate well with tenants about water management plans.

“The CDC is a tenant,” he said, “like many companies across the country who have to rely on the goodwill and faith of the building owner to do the right thing.” For any company, to the office It can be difficult to confirm that appropriate measures have been taken.

The affected CDC buildings will be closed until the issue is fixed.

“The inability of the CDC to prevent Legionella contamination in buildings indicates that we all need to be proactive in addressing this problem,” Dr. Proctor said.