Eleven cases have so far been reported, linked to a private clinic in the northwestern city of San Miguel de Tucuman. The cause has been a mystery until now, with COVID ruled out and other tests negative. The World Health Organization said on Friday it was monitoring the situation. Symptoms include pneumonia in the lungs, shortness of breath, fever, and muscle and abdominal pain. Argentina’s health authorities said on Saturday that the suspected cause was the Legionnaires. Tests had ruled it out earlier. Legionella bacteria is found naturally in freshwater environments, but can grow and spread in building water systems, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It is often spread when people inhale tiny infected droplets in the air or sometimes from water that contains the bacteria. Health Minister Carla Vizzotti told a press conference that people over 50 with certain conditions may be at particular risk. Current or former smokers and those with lung problems are also more likely to get sick. Legionnaires’ disease was discovered and named in 1976 after an outbreak at a convention of the American Legion of Veterans in Philadelphia.
