Four newborns contract Legionnaires' disease: CDC

Taipei, Nov. 24 (CNA) Four newborns have contracted Legionnaires' disease in Taiwan, marking the first time in a decade that a newborn has been infected with the illness, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) revealed Friday.

CDC spokesperson Lo Yi-chun (羅一鈞) said at a press conference that four newborns, all born in different hospitals between February and October, began displaying symptoms of fever, heavy breathing, loss of appetite, and fatigue at 6-10 days old and were confirmed to be infected with Legionnaires' disease.

Health officials did not reveal further information regarding which hospitals were involved.

The four newborns, two girls and two boys also all displayed serious symptoms, including pneumonia, with some experiencing complications such as sepsis and respiratory failure, Lo said, adding that, thankfully, they have all now recovered and been discharged from hospital.

Lo added that this was the first time in 10 years that Legionnaires' disease had been diagnosed in a newborn, noting that the last time was in 2013 when two newborns tested positive for the disease.

Legionnaires' disease is an atypical pneumonia caused by inhaling small droplets of water containing the bacterium Legionella spp, Lo explained.

Water samples were then gathered from equipment, which included faucets and water dispensers, in the affected hospitals to test for Legionella, Lo explained.

Traces of the disease were found on equipment that was tested, however, because some of the newborns had gone home before returning to hospital, it could not be confirmed that the infants had caught the disease in the hospitals.

In addition, other newborns who stayed in the hospitals for the same period did not display similar symptoms, Lo said.

According to Lo, health agencies have instructed the hospitals to disinfect the equipment and ensure it tests negative for the bacteria.

According to CDC data, as of Wednesday, a total of 334 confirmed cases of Legionnaires' disease have been reported this year, including 326 domestic cases and eight imported cases.