Valemount,  BC – An Edmonton man who lives on a farm east of that city is in University Hospital in Edmonton with what is being described as Legionnaires disease.  It is believed he came in contact with the disease over the Christmas holidays while sledding in the Valemount area.

The man is in an induced coma at the University Hospital in Edmonton after returning home with flu like symptoms.

The Canadian Center for Disease Control  has confirmed this is a case of Legionnaires Disease and he is being treated for it.

A second  man is also now reported to have contracted the disease while also snow sledding in the Valemount area, details of his condition are not known.

The Northern Health Authority is now  investigating to see if the source can be pin pointed.

According to Health Canada,  Legionnaires disease is one of two illnesses that  can develop from a bacterial infection called legionellosis, the other is called Pontiac fever.

Legionnaires’ disease is a type of pneumonia, which can occur in outbreaks. It varies in severity, and is sometimes fatal. Pontiac fever is a milder flu-like illness without pneumonia.

Legionnaires’ disease first became known in 1976, when an outbreak of pneumonia killed 34 people at an American Legion Convention in Philadelphia. The bacterium that caused the outbreak was named Legionella pneumophilia. Scientists later discovered that Legionella bacteria could also cause a milder type of infection, called Pontiac fever.

How Legionellosis Spreads

Legionella bacteria are found in water sources. People become infected by breathing in mist or steam containing the bacteria. Single cases of Legionnaires’ disease are more common, but outbreaks do occur, and have been reported in hospitals, hotels, other large buildings, and on cruise ships. Outbreaks and individual cases have been traced to a number of specific sources, including:

• water distribution systems (showers);
• respiratory therapy devices (in hospitals);
• whirlpool spas and hot tubs;
• humidifiers; and
• the cooling towers of large air-conditioning systems
  (e.g. in hotels, hospitals).

Legionellosis is not spread from one person to another. You cannot contract Pontiac fever or Legionnaires’ disease from an infected person.

The Symptoms of Legionellosis

Pontiac fever causes a flu-like illness. The symptoms include fever, lack of appetite, headache, and aching muscles. Pontiac fever is not associated with pneumonia. In most cases no treatment is required, and people recover within two to five days.

Legionnaires’ disease is a type of pneumonia that varies in severity from relatively mild to fatal. The symptoms can include high fever, chills and a cough, as well as fatigue, headache, aching muscles, chest pain, and loss of appetite. Sometimes there is also nausea, diarrhea, or a change in a person’s mental condition, including confusion or memory loss. Special tests are usually required to confirm that the illness has been caused by Legionella bacteria.

It is not known for certain  where the two men  may have come in contact with the  bacteria but there is speculation  it may have been in a sauna, spa  or perhaps a hot tub while in Valemount.