How legionnaires’ disease evacuated an asylum seekers’ boat

A political storm has broken out in the UK after asylum seekers held in temporary accommodation on the Bibby Stockholm barge at Portland Port in southern England were forced to evacuate. The reason was Legionella—the cause of legionnaires’ disease.What is legionnaires’ disease?The disease is a lung infection caused by the Legionella bacteria. The bacteria are found naturally in freshwater environments such as lakes and streams,1 although legionnaires’ disease is usually not caught in open water such as ponds, rivers, or lakes. It’s also not usually a risk in the home and can’t be caught from drinking water or from other people.Legionella becomes a health concern when it grows and spreads, often when trapped in human-made buildings’ water systems. You can catch it by inhaling droplets of water from air conditioning systems, pools, or hot tubs, so cases can occur in hotels, spas, or offices where the bacteria have infected the…
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