CPD PROGRAMME Professional The CIBSE Journal CPD Programme


Members of the Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers (CIBSE) and other professional bodies are required to maintain their professional competence throughout their careers.


Continuing professional development (CPD) means the systematic maintenance, improvement and broadening of your knowledge and skills, and is therefore a long-term commitment to enhancing your competence. CPD is a requirement of both CIBSE and the Register of the Engineering Council (UK).


CIBSE Journal is pleased to offer this module in its CPD programme. The programme is free and can be used by any reader. This module will help you to meet CIBSE’s requirement for CPD. It will equally assist members of other institutions, who should record CPD activities in accordance with their institution’s guidance.


Simply study the module and complete the questionnaire on the final page, following the instructions for its submission. Modules will be available online at www.cibsejournal.com/cpd while the information they contain remains current.


You can also complete the questionnaire online, and receive your results by return email. Preventing Legionnaires’ disease in building services


This module considers the issue of Legionnaires’ disease and how, by adopting good procedures, it can be readily prevented


This CPD will look at the background to Legionnaires’ disease and outline the resources available to determine proper methods of operation and prevention. Prevention is typically achieved by engineers with normal, good working practices. In 1976, a severe outbreak of pneumonia


at an American Legion convention in Philadelphia led to the name ‘Legionnaires’ disease’. The rod-shaped bacteria (Figure 1) found to have caused the disease was called Legionella pneumophila, in reference to the affected group of legionnaires. The term ‘legionellosis’ has subsequently been adopted to describe Legionella bacterial infections including, amongst others, Legionnaires' disease and Pontiac fever. Legionnaires’ disease does not infect everyone exposed to the bacteria – infection rates are in the order of up to 5% of the general population and 14% of hospital patients (owing to impaired immune systems). The generally quoted incubation period is two to 10 days, although studies have observed periods of up to 19 days. The potential fatality rate for infected hospital patients can reach 40-80% although, overall, the fatality rate is far smaller (according to data taken from Legionella prevention of legionellosis, published by the World Health Organisation (WHO[5] Those at risk from infection through


). www.cibsejournal.com


Professional development


Figure 1: Legionella pneumophila bacteria (Source: http://phil.cdc.gov/ ref 11128)


Legionella are typically older than 40 years, and predominantly males who have susceptibility to infection through underlying diseases such as diabetes, chronic heart disease and smoking-related diseases. Those who are ill or infirm, such as hospital patients, are particularly susceptible. Pontiac fever, which is frequently associated with Legionnaires’ disease, is a less severe influenza (with no pneumonia), with a typically quicker incubation of one to two days and no history of fatalities. There are a number of antibiotic treatments for different strains of infection from the various species of Legionella, with good


recovery rates if the infection is identified early enough. When Legionnaires’ disease is formally reported, it is characterised as community acquired, nosocomial (hospital or health- care acquired) or travel associated (linked with travel away from normal location). These are used in the data in Figure 2 to show the rising number of reported outbreaks in Europe. Some of the rise may be attributed to more formalised reporting methods. Legionella is not transmitted from person


to person, but is acquired by the inhalation of the bacteria, typically in a contaminated aerosol. Small particle sizes penetrate deep


July 2012 CIBSE Journal 49


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