Brunswick, GermanyAn undated file picture taken with electronic microscope shows EHEC bacteria (enterohaemorrhagic Escherichia coli) in Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research in Brunswick. German health authorities on May 25, 2011 have warned consumers t
Brunswick, GermanyAn undated file picture taken with electronic microscope shows EHEC bacteria (enterohaemorrhagic Escherichia coli) in Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research in Brunswick. German health authorities on May 25, 2011 have warned consumers to be careful with raw salad vegetables, especially those originating from northern Germany, after reporting about 140 cases and at least four deaths. REUTERS/Manfred Rohde/Helmholtz-Zentrum für Infektionsforschung (HZI) REUTERS/Manfred Rohde/Helmholt

One of the GlaxoSmithKline's drug-making plant based in Zebulon was closed on Aug 11 after the bacteria that cause Legionnaire's disease were found inside its premises. The bacteria were discovered in a self-standing cooling tower at the plant during a routine testing.

Out of a total of 850 employees, 400 were asked to stay away from the cooling tower at the plant located 25 miles east of Raleigh. According to the officials at the London-based company, the cooling towers will be cleaned and sanitised before the workers are allowed to come in contact with the self-standing tower again.

In a statement, GlaxoSmithKline's officials claimed that none of the products manufactured at the plant came in contact with the cooling tower. However, they did not confirm whether any worker at the plant was exposed to the bacteria. People who inhale water vapor or mist containing the bacteria are at a greater risk of developing Legionnaire's disease. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or CDC, the disease does not spread from person to person.

The Food and Drug Administration, or FDA, is currently looking into the discovery of the bacteria at the plant. An FDA official further said that all questions or queries related to the bacterial infection at the plant should be routed to GlaxoSmithKline. The state and county health officials further stated they were not aware of any such outbreak at the drugmaker facility.

Legionnaire's disease is a potentially fatal form of pneumonia. According to CDC, between 8,000 and 18,000 Americans are hospitalised every year because of the disease. According to CBS News, the bacteria led to the death of 12 people in summer after it were found in the cooling tanks in the Bronx section of New York City.

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