Legionnaires’ Disease

Legionnaires’ disease gained notoriety in July 1976, when an outbreak of a serious lung infection occurred among individuals who were attending the 58th annual convention of the American Legion at the Bellevue-Stratford in Philadelphia. Legionella is widely present in the natural environment, and Legionella pneumophila is well recognized as a common cause of community-acquired pneumonia. In 2008, there were 3,181 cases of Legionnaires’ disease reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Reports indicate that prevalence of Legionella infections has increased over the past two decades. It is not known if this is due to better diagnostic techniques or changes in the environment.

The goal of this Legionnaires’ disease continuing education program is to provide pharmacists, health educators, dietitians, nurses and laboratory technologists with information about Legionnaires’ disease, its epidemiology, clinical presentation, diagnosis and management. After completing this educational activity, you will be better able to:

 

 

This course is intended for an interprofessional audience, including pharmacists, health educators, dietitians, nurses and laboratory technologists.

 

Pharmacists: Take this version of the course to ensure you receive appropriate credit.

 

For the version accredited or approved for another profession, go to your specific profession at www.continuingeducation.com or Nurse.com/CE. If you have a CE Direct login ID and password (generally provided by your employer), please log in as you normally would at lms.nurse.com and search for this topic title.

 

Gannett Education is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education as a provider of continuing pharmacy education.

 

Type of Activity: Knowledge

 

Initial Release Date: 04/10/2012; Planned Expiration Date: 04/10/2015