ABSTRACT
Respiratory infections have been estimated to cause 50% to 60% of all community acquired illnesses. The economic impact of this both from the standpoint of human health care cost and loss of productivity in the work-place is in the millions of dollars. Although most of infections are of viral etiology, bacterial diseases such as tuberculosis, streptococcal pneumonia, and meningococcal meningitis do occur and have caused substantial problems in hospitals, hotels, day care centers, nursing homes, mental institutions, and schools. This is by either close contact such as kissing, hugging, and touching or by "droplets" or "droplet nuclei" present in the air. The disease they cause, legionellosis, should be of special interest to the attendees of this symposium on air quality. Instead of originating from an ill person or a healthy carrier, they are present in the environment in most surface waters. The epidemic started Monday evening, July 1, 1968, among employees of the Oakland County Health Department in Pontiac, Michigan.
