Matosinhos home user infected with Legionella has already been discharged from hospital

The technical director of the Leça do Balio social center in Matosinhos, the home where an elderly man died of legionella, told Lusa this Friday that the second user infected with the disease was discharged from the hospital on Thursday.

Without revealing his age, gender or when he was hospitalized, Graciete Pinto said only that the elderly man was discharged from the Pedro Espano Hospital in Matosinhos, Porto district, on Thursday afternoon, returning home at the end of the day.

The person in charge also reported that so far no users or employees have shown symptoms of Legionella.

Elderly people and their families are aware of the situation and the importance of the measures taken and are calm, he confirmed.

According to him, one of the measures is to “carefully” open taps.

The person in charge added that the Residential Equipment for the Elderly (ERPI), which is used by 35 people, is monitored from the “first hour” by health authorities and maintenance companies that provide assistance.

Despite persistent requests, Graciete Pinto refused to say when the cases were detected and when one of the two infected users died, as well as the gender and age of that victim.

The death of an elderly man from legionella was reported on Thursday by the Northern Regional Health Authority (ARH).

The region’s administration also said that the origin of the “cluster” in Matosinhos is likely related to the environment.

This Friday, Lusa contacted ARS do Norte and the Matosinhos City Council, who refused to provide clarification on the situation.

In addition to these two individuals, Lusa also tried to listen to the health representative Matosinhos, who referred the case to ARS do Norte.

Since the beginning of the month, two outbreaks of Legionnaires’ disease have been identified in the northern region: one in Matosinhos and the other in Caminha, Viana do Castelo district.

To date, an outbreak with seven confirmed cases has been identified in Caminha and an epidemiological investigation is currently underway and the public health measures needed to combat it are being determined.

This Friday, in statements to journalists, the Minister of Health assured that the case of the Legionella outbreak is being treated “with the utmost care and rigor”, and asked not to miss the “right times” of science.

Legionnaires’ disease is a pneumonia caused by the bacterium Legionella pneumophila, characterized by symptoms such as fever, malaise, headaches, muscle aches, nonproductive cough and diarrhea.

The infection is transmitted through the air (respiratory) route, by inhaling droplets of water (aerosols) or, less commonly, by aspirating water contaminated with bacteria.