Lockdown measures around the world are causing people to work from home en masse and many factories, schools, and office buildings to be extinct.

 

Public health experts, therefore, warn that Legionnaires’ disease can spread widely if people can return to work.

When office buildings are reopened, administrators should proceed with caution to avoid the outbreak of the disease that can cause pneumonia.

Due to the abrupt massive closure of schools, factories, commercial buildings and offices, water consumption has come to a halt. Stagnant water in the pipes can contain the bacteria causing the disease.

If diagnosed in time, Legionnaires’ disease is less dangerous than Covid-19. Most cases can be treated well with antibiotics, and the disease does not spread from person to person.

“It is a global problem that can be solved by precautions,” said British microbiologist Susanne Surman-Lee. She participated in the drawing up of guidelines by the European Council for Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases for the reopening of buildings.

Most large companies will know what to do, but things may be different for smaller shops, gyms and hotels, she warns.