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LEGIONNAIRE'S
Legionnaires' disease is
most often contracted by inhaling mist from
water sources such as whirlpool baths, showers,
and cooling towers that are contaminated
with Legionella bacteria. There is no evidence
for person-to-person spread of the disease.
Legionnaires'
disease can be viewed as an example of how
our physical environment affects our health.
Relative humidity, temperature, and other
environmental factors can alter the incidence
and the fatality rates of infectious diseases,
including Legionnaires' disease. For example,
cooling towers and evaporative condensers
of large air conditioning systems have been
associated with outbreaks of the disease,
and the highest incidence of Legionnaires'
disease occurs in the warmest months of
the year, the time when air conditioning
systems are used the most.
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