Legionnaires' disease, according to the Mayo Clinic, is a severe form of pneumonia, characterized by lung inflammation. It is caused by infection by a bacterium known as legionella.One cannot catch Legionnaires' disease through person-to-person contact. Rather, it is contracted by inhalation of the bacteria. Older adults, smokers and people with weak immune systems are most vulnerable to Legionnaires'.
Though Legionnaires' is treatable, it can be fatal.The best known outbreak of Legionnaires' was in July of 1976 at the Bellevue Stratford Hotel in Philadelphia. Members of the American Legion were gathered at the hotel to celebrate the American Bicentennial. 221 people were treated and 34 people died. The incident gave the disease its name.
