Central Middle School Tests Negative For Legionnaire's Disease

BAYVILLE, NJ - No evidence of Legionnaires' Disease was found during recent testing of the Central Regional Middle School, after an employee was diagnosed with the ailment in late August, schools Superintendent Triantafillos Parlapanides said.

"The test results are in and they are negative to Legionnaires Disease, so the Middle School is safe and clean," he said. "We also did a sterilization of the main office as a precaution."

The employee could have been affected while she was on vacation, Parlapanides said.

"She is doing well and recovering and should be back to work in a few weeks," he said.

Legionnaires' disease is a serious type of pneumonia caused by the Legionella bacteria, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control's website.
Outbreaks are commonly occur in buildings or structures with complex water systems, like hotels and resorts, long-term care facilities, hospitals, and cruise ships. The most likely sources of infection include water used for showering, hot tubs, decorative fountains, and cooling towers (structures that contain water and a fan as part of centralized air cooling systems for a building or industrial processes), the website states.

People can get sick when they breathe in mist or accidently inhale water into the lungs containing the bacteria. Most people who are exposed to the bacteria do not get sick. People 50 years or older, current or former smokers, and people with a weakened immune system or chronic disease are at increased risk.

Photo: Courtesy of Shutterstock

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