Legionnaires' disease confirmed in Dartmouth by Health Authority

Residents of a Dartmouth apartment building are sleeping uneasily tonight after learning that one resident has Legionnaires' disease and several others are sick.

"lt never dawned on us that we might be sick because there was a problem in the building. We didn't hear about this until today. We just thought we had a flu bug," said Nancy McLean. 

"It's unnerving. It's upsetting. It's scary."

The Nova Scotia Health Authority said three unconfirmed cases are being investigated. 

The apartment building held a meeting to discuss the situation today, but McLean didn't hear about it. She only found out about the outbreak when she left her home at 5 p.m.

It's unnerving. It's upsetting. It's scary.- Nancy McLean

"Everybody must be upset tonight and find it hard to sleep. I know I'm going to be pretty uneasy when I go to bed tonight," McLean said. 

A severe form of pneumonia, Legionnaires' is contracted after a person breathes mists that come from a water source contaminated with the Legionella bacteria. 

Symptoms include fever, chills, dry cough, muscle aches, headache, loss of appetite, diarrhea and pneumonia.

All four individuals live in the same building and are being treated at hospital. The authority won't give the address of the building. 

"Most people have little or no risk of catching the disease, which is not contagious and can't be spread from person to person," said Dr. Gaynor Watson-Creed, Nova Scotia Medical Officer of Health.  

"The source of this small cluster appears to be localized and it's unlikely that the broader public is at risk. At the same time, it's important that people are aware and know the symptoms." 

Antibiotics are used to treat Legionnella, which can be found in the soil and can make its way through AC units, showers, and whirlpools.