Legionnaires’ baby remains in critical condition

The health condition of the infant who was diagnosed with Legionnaires’ disease and is being treated at the neonatal intensive care unit of Makarios hospital remains critical, Okypy spokesman Charalambos Charilaou said on Saturday. Charilaou said that there was no change in the baby’s health status and that it remains in critical condition according to the assessment of the treating doctors. The baby had been diagnosed with the disease at a private hospital in Nicosia in mid-October. In response to the reported infection, the health ministry imposed a temporary suspension of the hospitals operations. Subsequent lab tests returned negative results, allowing the hospital to reopen with the health ministry’s approval. Legionnaires’ disease is a bacterial infection which mainly affects the respiratory system and can cause pneumonia. The bacterium thrives in water and spreads when people breathe in droplets of contaminated water. Possible sources include showers, taps, hot water systems and cooling towers in large buildings, particularly where they are poorly maintained. Symptoms usually develop between two and ten days after exposure, which include high fever, cough, severe fatigue and difficulty breathing. Some patients also experience diarrhoea, nausea and abdominal pain. It does not usually pass from person to person.