Is legionnaires’ disease responsible for the death of 7-year-old Mario? Parents refuse to believe
His parents 7 year old who died a few hours after the rapid demonstration of his health at the Hippocratic Hospital of Thessaloniki, they still can not believe what he found them. According to the doctors of the hospital in Thessaloniki, there are many indications that it was the disease of the legionnaires that caused the death of the child. The little boy had a low-grade fever and diarrhea for a day or two. Suddenly on the third day the child could not move his arms, the fever went up a lot and he had convulsions. The parents ran to the hospital. There, according to all relevant information, the child’s health condition deteriorated rapidly, as he was now bleeding from his nose and mouth. At the same time, he had severe shortness of breath, stiffness and a very low hemocrit. The hasty intubation unfortunately did not save the unfortunate boy and two hours after his admission to the ICU of Ippokratio Thessaloniki, 7-year-old Marios cooled down.
Doctors told the parents that the only germ they found in the child’s body was Legionella, which causes “legionnaires’ disease”. The doctors assumed that the child was seriously ill because the germ was transmitted from an air conditioner and that he had an acute infection.
The child’s parents refuse to believe it
Speaking to Mega, the child’s parents try to realize that from one moment to the next I had the most valuable thing they had in life
“They tried to save the child, but he was not saved. He was bleeding from his nose, mouth and ended up “said the father of the 7-year-old and added” ».
He had no problem …
“In 4 hours I bury my child and in 15 days I did his birthday. It was something sudden, superhuman efforts were made by all the staff. While my child was dying, he did his best. “The child had no problem, it was something sudden,” says the child’s mother.
As the father of the 7-year-old pointed out at the hospital, the doctors informed them that the climate and the disease of the Legionnaires were to blame for the death of the child, however, as he himself refuses to believe.
“As a first phase we were told that there was a germ, called a legion, and it was found in his blood. We were even told to take out the filters (air conditioning) we have in our homes. I do not believe that one in a billion is from this thing. “From such a germ, a child with such a strong immune system can not actually end up in four hours,” explains the father.
The disease and the symptoms
Legionnaires’ disease has flu-like symptoms and is difficult for doctors to “suspect” unless many cases have already been reported in one area. Typically the symptoms are fever, whooping cough, myalgias and often pneumonia or diarrhea. The bacterium can only be detected by blood tests and a urine test.
According to ygeiamou.gr, humans are infected by inhalation or inflow of water droplets containing the microorganism. Factors that facilitate the development of the disease in humans are smoking and alcohol abuse. Also more vulnerable are immunosuppressed people and those suffering from chronic lung disease.
It is important to note that it is not transmitted from person to person and can affect age.
The incubation period ranges from 2 to 10 days.
The clinical picture varies and the symptoms can be reported in more than one body system.
The patient feels weak and depressed for a few days and may follow a period with flu-like symptoms. Cough (initially dry then productive) may be the first symptom of lung infection. Many patients have higher fever (more than 39 ° C), gastrointestinal symptoms (diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, stomach disorders), central nervous system (headache, confusion, lethargy, delirium), heart (bradycardia) etc. Depending on the extent of the pneumonia and the coexistence or not of other diseases, there may be shortness of breath or respiratory failure.
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