Baby with legionnaires disease critical at Makarios hospital
A newborn treated for legionnaires disease is in critical condition in Nicosia, while the private hospital where the infection was traced has paused operations after bacteria were found in its water network.
A baby diagnosed with legionnaires disease remains in a critical state at the Makarios children's hospital in Nicosia, according to Charalambos Charilaou, spokesman for the state health services organisation (Okypy), as reported by Cyprus Mail. He said the infant is receiving all appropriate treatments.
The health ministry had already suspended operations at the private hospital where the baby was born and later infected, pending further tests. Sampling of that facility's water supply network showed preliminary evidence of legionella pneumophila, the bacterium behind the illness, and other infants under care there have been moved to other facilities.
Okypy says it has no information about similar cases at any other facility on the island. Legionnaires disease is a lung infection contracted by breathing in contaminated water droplets from sources such as air conditioning or hot tubs; it is uncommon but serious and does not usually pass between people.
What it means for residents
The case puts a spotlight on the water systems inside buildings people trust with their health, and on how quickly authorities share what they find.
- Parents of newborns should ask their maternity unit directly whether its water network has been tested and when.
- Building managers of hotels, clinics and apartment blocks should check maintenance schedules for cooling towers and hot water systems, where the bacteria thrive.
- Watch for updates from the health ministry on the suspended hospital's test results before booking or transferring care there.
This text is written from the source article and is not a translation of it.
