After reports of an outbreak of the sometimes deadly Legionnaires’ disease in the neighboring USVI, residents are appealing to the Department of Health (DOH) to offer more information on the circumstances surrounding the outbreak, while officials continue to prioritise individual privacy and affirm that the disease cannot spread from person to person—a claim of fact that may ultimately be incorrect.
During a press briefing on Monday, Deputy Health Commissioner Reuben Molloy was asked for more information on the two individuals who contracted the disease and the circumstances in which it was contracted.
Malloy restated that the two cases consist of one individual on St. Thomas and one on St. Croix. He also said that the DOH only provides information that allows them to achieve balancing and protecting both public safety and the privacy of the individuals.
Malloy said, “We are a small community, and we don’t want to give too much information that would allow individuals to be identified.”
When Susan Ellis from the St. Croix Source inquired if the was disease contracted off island, out of the territory, or in a public place, Malloy replied that he “does not have that information available,” and stated firmly that “it cannot be contracted person to person.”
And while the CDC says that “In general, people do not spread Legionnaires’ disease to other people,” they also state that it may be “possible under rare circumstances,” citing a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine contrary to Malloy’s definitive response.
The CDC says that “Legionnaires’ disease is a serious type of pneumonia (lung infection) caused by Legionella bacteria. People can get sick when they breathe in small droplets of water or accidently swallow water containing Legionella into the lungs.”
The CDC also reports that “about one in 10 people who gets sick from Legionnaires’ disease will die.”