Was Legionella in Poland a biological weapon attack?

There are questions whether Legionella in Poland was a biological weapon attack. Is it possible?

It seems unlikely.

Legionella outbreaks are very common, especially during the right weather for it.

Plus, it doesn't pass from person to person anyway.

Someone is more likely to get it in a temporary garden swimming pool, ice from an ice making machine (and how often are those cleaned?) or from poorly maintained air conditioning systems, and of course this is the time of year when a/c systems are operating.

Swimming in lakes or rivers can also be a cause, specially in warm weather.

I'm surprised there's not more legionella given the growing summer temperatures in Europe and for sure, if anyone wanted to use biological warfare, they'd use a different and more effective bacteria.

If they carried out an attack with smallpox, everyone would know right away that it was an attack. And so no one will guess and they will disorganize a little our life in the attacked country.

That's true, however the disruption is small and there are also outbreaks in Liverpool, Dorset and Las Vegas. It's the worst time of year for it, especially with the current heatwave.

If I was working for a malign state actor (i.e.r*SSia) I'd probably go with Salmonella or even better, clostridium.

I just read that this is being investigated. Hopefully it isn't anything suspicious however water hygiene is something w need to be careful about as temperatures rise and air conditioning is perhaps overused anyway.

This article from today's newspaper is a balanced one.
telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2023/08/25/poland-legionnaires-disease-outbreak-sabotage-investigation/

So its not like AIDs?

No, it kills much faster.

Having AIDS is a great way to get killed by Legionnaire's Disease. Most people are totally unaffected by it, but those with a suppressed immune system get absolutely wrecked.

There is no vaccine for it.

Fun fact: it's name has nothing to do with the Roman Empire, but instead the "American Legion" organization. One of its branches had a mass outbreak amongst its members.

I just got a alert email from the consul that says:
The U.S. Consulate General in Krakow, Poland, is following reports of several cases of illness caused by Legionella pneumophila bacteria, also known as legionellosis or "Legionnaire's disease," in the Rzeszow area. The majority of people who have become ill are the elderly and those suffering from chronic illness or immune suppression.

Public health authorities are conducting an urgent epidemiological investigation into the source of the outbreak. Immediate control measures include temporary shutdown of fountains, public water sprays, and other water sources. Authorities are working closely with building managers and local institutions to put prevention and control measures in place. A full disinfection of the municipal water supply in Rzeszow and surrounding areas is scheduled for August 27 from 5:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m.

Legionellosis, or Legionnaires' disease, is a serious type of pneumonia (lung infection) caused by Legionella bacteria. People can get sick when they breathe in small droplets of water or accidently swallow water containing Legionella into the lungs. Legionella is not transmitted by food and is not dangerous when it enters the digestive system, such as through drinking water. Legionella bacteria is not spread from person to person except in very rare cases. More information is available at gov.pl/web/wsse-rzeszow.

So Americans take it very seriously.

A quick thing about Legionella which could be a specific risk in Poland Many people have a dzialka in the countryside for weekends. If you do, and the dzialka has been empty all week, run all the taps when you go there, especially the shower.

It's the same if you've been away on holiday. When you get home, run the taps, especially the shower. There are a few nasties (not just legionella) that can incubate while sitting in pipes in warm weather.

I heard that you need to heat the water to at least 70 ° C. It killed Legionella.

As mentioned, Legionella does not affect most healthy people. I just Googled it, and less than 1% of people exposed to it, become sick.

Those most at risk are the very old, and those that are already sick.

This seems like a strange choice of a biological weapon. No?

If I were in charge of Russian biological warfare in Poland - I would use conjuctivitis, also know as pink eye. We send a group of say... 1,000 Russians disguised as political refugees. Each will be tasked with farting on the pillows of their Polish host families while they are away at work. Since "pink eye" spreads like wildfire, 1,000 such cells could in rapid order collapse Polish society.

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The idea is so-so because most Poles have already red eyes because of constantly wiping with surprise what the russians have made of themselves in the last years.

Now there will be PiS voters who will rub their eyes in disbelief after their favorite party loses power.
But back to Legionella, that's why I changed the seaside heating system from a boiler to a flow system.

I don't know what happened with Legionella, but now there are reports of Havanna Syndrome again. Russians using acoustic weapons may be behind it. Maybe yes, maybe no.

Have the Russians released Norovirus in Germany now or is it just a coincidence.
See; Frühlingsfest Stuttgart

Instead of Legionella, the Russians are currently causing fires everywhere in Poland... but why in a Vietnamese shopping center?

There was presumably some factor about it, perhaps a way of disabling the sprinklers or simply that there was an easy way of staring a fire that could spread well.

Yes, all Vietnamese centers are packed to the ceiling with goods. No wonder the fire spread so quickly. It's good that no one was hurt. However, the question remains whether it was arson and if so, why.

In the meantime, the case is clear, it was arson. Whether it was the russians or competitors?