Ophanet, who are a consortium of European partners, currently defines a condition rare when if affects 1 person per 2,000. They list Legionnaires' disease as a "rare disease". More information about Legionnaires' disease is available from Orphanet
1,108 annual cases notified in USA 1999 (MMWR 1999) ... see also overview of Legionnaires' disease.
approx 1 in 245,487 or 0.00% or 1,107 people in USA [Source statistic for calcuation: "1,108 annual cases notified in USA 1999 (MMWR 1999)" -- see also general information about data sources]
1,107 per year, 92 per month, 21 per week, 3 per day, 0 per hour, 0 per minute, 0 per second. [Source statistic for calculation: "1,108 annual cases notified in USA 1999 (MMWR 1999)" -- see also general information about data sources]
The following statistics relate to the incidence of Legionnaires' disease:
16 MEDICAL BOOKS ONLINE! Review excerpts from medical books online, free, without registration, for more information about the prevalence and/or incidence of Legionnaires' disease.
The causative agent of Legionnaires’ disease, Legionella pneumophila, is an aerobic, gram-negative bacillus that’s probably transmitted by an airborne route. In past epidemics, it has spread through cooling towers or evaporation condensers in air-conditioning systems. However, Legionella bacilli also flourish in soil and excavation sites. The disease doesn’t spread from person to person.
Legionnaires’ disease is most likely to affect:
❑ middle-age and elderly people
❑ immunocompromised patients (particularly those receiving corticosteroids, for example, after a transplant) or those with lymphoma or other disorders associated with delayed hypersensitivity
❑ patients with a chronic underlying disease, such as diabetes, chronic renal failure, or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
❑ those with alcoholism
❑ cigarette smokers
❑ those on a ventilator for extended periods
Source: Professional Guide to Diseases (Eighth Edition), 2005
The term 'prevalence' of Legionnaires' disease usually refers to the estimated population
of people who are managing Legionnaires' disease at any given time.
The term 'incidence' of Legionnaires' disease refers to the annual diagnosis rate,
or the number of new cases of Legionnaires' disease diagnosed each year.
Hence, these two statistics types can differ:
a short-lived disease like flu can have high annual incidence but low prevalence,
but a life-long disease like diabetes has a low annual incidence but high prevalence.
For more information see about prevalence and incidence statistics.
Footnotes:
1. Notifiable Diseases Online, PPHB, Canada, 2000
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