Legionnaires' disease outbreak
Definition
A sudden occurrence of Legionnaires' disease in a specific geographic area or among a common group, caused by the inhalation of aerosolized water contaminated with Legionella bacteria.
A public health crisis typically associated with poorly maintained cooling towers, hot tubs, or plumbing systems that allow the bacteria to spread through misting systems.
Examples
If your hotel room comes with a complimentary misting system and a sudden fever, you might have stumbled into a real-life Legionnaires' disease outbreak.
The building management described the Legionnaires' disease outbreak as a simple maintenance hiccup, which is a bold way to frame a biological warning sign.
Nothing ruins a spa day quite like discovering that the fountain feature you're admiring is ground zero for a local Legionnaires' disease outbreak.
I told the inspector that if we wanted to recreate a historical plague, we should have started with something less industrial than a Legionnaires' disease outbreak.