Legionnaires disease
Legionnaires disease clinical and global spread profile: 9 countries, 10 WHO outbreak events since 1998.
Legionnaires disease · ICD-10 A481 · ICD-11 1C19 · 10 WHO events across 9 countries (1998–2023).
Top affected countries
| Country | Region | Events | % of global |
|---|---|---|---|
| France | EUR | 2 | 20% |
| Norway | EUR | 1 | 10% |
| Poland | EUR | 1 | 10% |
| Argentina | AMR | 1 | 10% |
| Spain | EUR | 1 | 10% |
| Australia | WPR | 1 | 10% |
| Portugal | EUR | 1 | 10% |
| Belgium | EUR | 1 | 10% |
| Netherlands | EUR | 1 | 10% |
Distribution by WHO region
| Region | Events | Share |
|---|---|---|
| EUR | 8 | 80% |
| AMR | 1 | 10% |
| WPR | 1 | 10% |
Annual outbreak timeline
| Year | Events | Countries |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 1 | 1 |
| 2022 | 1 | 1 |
| 2014 | 1 | 1 |
| 2003 | 1 | 1 |
| 2001 | 2 | 2 |
| 2000 | 1 | 1 |
| 1999 | 2 | 2 |
| 1998 | 1 | 1 |
Peak year: 2001 (2 events).
Decade summary
| Decade | Events |
|---|---|
| 1990s | 3 |
| 2000s | 4 |
| 2010s | 1 |
| 2020s | 2 |
WHO case definition
Legionnaires’ disease, the pneumonic form, has an incubation period of 2 to 10 days (but up to 16 days has been recorded in some outbreaks). Initially, symptoms are fever, loss of appetite, headache, malaise and lethargy. Some patients may also have muscle pain, diarrhoea and confusion. There is also usually an initial mild cough, but as many as 50% of patients can present phlegm. Blood-streaked phlegm or hemoptysis occurs in about one-third of the patients. The severity of disease ranges from a mild cough to a rapidly fatal pneumonia. Death occurs through progressive pneumonia with respiratory failure and/or shock and multi-organ failure.
Countries Affected
9
Outbreak Events
10
Year Range
1998–2023
ICD-10 A481
Legionnaires disease
Visualization
Global Prevalence Snapshot
Based on WHO Disease Outbreak News events (1998–2023).
Risk Level
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