Legionella pneumophila Seminar - Increase Awareness of the Unpredictable Pathogen
June 12, 2015
CKNet was invited to attend a seminar on Legionella pneumophila on June 9, 2015 at The Sultan Hotel, Jakarta. The seminar was hosted by WLN Indonesia in collaboration with KWR and WMD. The course was opened by Karst Jan Hoogsteen as the Director of WMD Netherlands and Dr. Ekowati Rahajeng from the Disease Control and Environmental Sanitation, Indonesian Ministry of Health.
The facilitators were:
1. Sofwan,
ST, MM – Head Division of Guidance and Evaluation on Wastewater, Air, Radiation,
Indonesian Ministry of Health
2. Idsart
Dijkstra, MBA – Manager of KWR Netherlands
3. Gerrit
Veenendaal – Technical Director of WMD Netherlands
4. Arif
Rahmadi – Director of WLM Indonesia
SUMMARY
Legionella is a Gram negative pathogen bacterium in the species of L. pneumophila that causes legionellosis or Legionnaires’ disease. The name originates from the American Legion convention in Philadelphia, USA, where the outbreak first happened in 1976.
In Indonesia, it was first found in Bali in 1996. Almost all reported cases in Indonesia originates from Bali (one report was from Tangerang in 1999). This is intelligible since the bacteria are mostly found in hotels and Bali, as the center of tourism, has more than 2000 of them. Another significant place where this bacteria grow is in hospitals. Buildings that have cooling towers, humidifiers, decorative fountains, spas, and other aquatic environments are also the source of legionella.
Legionnaires’ disease can affect anyone, but mainly affects elderly people and people with low immunity system.
The main purpose of this seminar is to increase awareness of this disease. It is possible that a number of cases in the field are much higher than reported. Jakarta, for example, is also home to many hotels, hospitals, and especially buildings in general. Regular inspection must be conducted to prevent this disease from spreading.
To read more on the report click here.
