LOS ANGELES, March 12 (Xinhua) -- Two people were killed and 14 hospitalized in a suspected outbreak of Legionnaires' disease in Coachella Valley in Southern California, local health officials said on Friday.
"Health officials are aware of 20 confirmed cases of which 14 individuals were hospitalized. Two deaths were reported: one resident of Riverside County and the other a visitor to the area," the Riverside County University Health System (RUHS) - Public Health said in a statement, adding the cases were reported to Public Health between the fall of 2021 and early 2022.
The source of the illness and the extent of the spread is not known, and the RUHS is coordinating investigation with the California Department of Public Health and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Legionnaires' disease is a common type of pneumonia caused by a bacterium called Legionella, which is spread through inhaled water droplets. Its symptoms include fever, coughing and shortness of breath. ■
