Due to the outbreak of legionellosis in Kaunas district, Garliava, thermal prevention will be carried out – a procedure by increasing the temperature of hot water in the water system, Kauno energija reported.
It will take place from Friday midnight to 4 p.m.
In Garliava’s centralized city heat supply network, the temperature of heating water will be increased to 80 degrees Celsius, so that the supervisors or administrators of the hot water systems of buildings can carry out thermal prevention of legionellosis.
According to the order of the Minister of Health, the thermal shock is carried out by increasing the temperature in the building’s hot water system to 66 degrees, because legionella bacteria die at this temperature.
After the outbreak of legionellosis in Kaunas, 12 people are being treated in hospitals. Nine illnesses were recorded in Kaunas district, three in Kaunas city. On Tuesday, experts claimed that they had not identified the focus of the outbreak, as they had not detected links between the cases of infection.
Kaunas Hospital informed on Thursday that no new cases of legionellosis were detected, and no one died.
Legionellosis is a type of pneumonia caused by Legionella bacteria. About one in ten people who get the disease die. These bacteria are spread through water mist (aerosols), usually due to poorly maintained or constructed plumbing systems.
Legionella bacteria reproduce in water at a temperature of 20-50 degrees Celsius, and at temperatures above 50 degrees, bacteria live, but do not reproduce anymore. Legionella bacteria are killed when the water temperature rises above 65 degrees.
Legionnaires’ disease can be contracted by inhaling mist from water contaminated with the bacteria. The disease is not transmitted from one person to another or by drinking water. This disease can be prevented if a temperature of at least 50 degrees is constantly maintained in all consumers’ water taps.
