An epidemiological analysis of Legionnaires' disease

Chih-Ming Wang, En-Tzu Wang, Ju-Hsin Chen, Ding-Ping Liu

2012 Vol.28 NO.11

Correspondence Author： Chih-Ming Wang

Abstract：

There had been 408 confirmed cases of Legionnaires' disease in Taiwan from 2007 to 2011, including 53 deaths. The incidence of confirmed cases is about 0.35 people per 100,000 population, which is significantly lower than the other countries in the world. Regarding the age distribution of Legionnaires' disease cases, Taiwan has the same trend with other countries, with the incidence increasing with age. The elders are at a higher risk of Legionnaires' disease, and this will be a main target of disease prevention. The monthly distribution of Legionnaires' disease cases shows that the number of cases peaks in the summer. This pattern is the same as other countries, but Taiwan’s curve isn’t as evident as other countries. Thus, in order to prevent people from high-risk environments, which may lead to infection with Legionnaires' disease, institutions and businesses should self-regulate and engage in tasks such as cleaning and disinfecting the water supply system and cooling water tower on a regular basis.