The Current Business Sanitation Self-Regulation on Legionnaires' Disease

Yu-Ling Chen

2012 Vol.28 NO.12

Correspondence Author： Yu-Ling Chen

Abstract：

Legionella bacteria is mainly transmitted through the mist in the air, the cooling tower of air-conditioning system, spring pools, and mist from the shower heads are all important sources of infection. Other countries didn’t include Legionnaires' disease into routine inspection items because most healthy people are resistant to this bacteria so the probability of infection is low, in addition, there is a wide range and a huge number of commercial establishments. Only Japan has regulation on bathhouse industry that spring water should not have any presence of Legionella pneumophila. Other industries like hotel industry didn’t have regulation on the examination on Legionella pneumophila. In order to reduce the risk of people with poor immunity that being infected by Legionnaires' disease in commercial establishments, Taiwan CDC has revised the “Business sanitation standards” on September 2011, and added a stipulation that requires water supply systems and water-cooling towers in the commercial establishments should be cleaned and sanitized more than once per six months. Taiwan CDC also issued documents to local health bureaus to discuss and include it into “Business sanitation self-regulation rules”.