ASHEVILLE — As of Sept. 27, The N.C. Department of Health and Human Services has confirmed 82 cases of Legionnaires' disease, a respiratory infection that can be life-threatening, associated with the 2019 Mountain State Fair. One patient has died, and the CDC says the disease is fatal for 10% of people infected. Here's what you need to know.

Legionnaires' isn't contagious

Legionnnaires' disease can't spread from person to person. The Legionella bacteria enters the body via contaminated water — but it has to reach the lungs to be dangerous, so it has to be breathed in. The culprit is usually aerosolized water, tiny water droplets suspended in the air by something like a misting station, an air conditioner or steam.

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You may not know you're infected

Legionnaires' symptoms are very similar to other types of pneumonia.

Go see your doctor if you went to the Mountain State Fair and are feeling short of breath or have a cough, a fever, muscle aches or headaches. Other symptoms include diarrhea, nausea and confusion.

Symptoms typically arise 2-10 days after exposure to the bacteria, but can take as long as two weeks to present, according to the CDC. Since the Fair ran Sept. 6-16, we're still well within the incubation period and public health officials expect new cases to continue to emerge.

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Who can be infected?

People who contract Legionnaires' are typically over 50, have a history of smoking or lung disease and/or have a weakened immune system, according to the CDC, but people outside this profile also get sick.

Fifty-five of the 82 cases have resulted in hospitalization, according to the latest data. One patient in Buncombe County has died.

Source of contamination unclear

Public health officials are still working to pin down the source of the contaminated water at the Mountain State Fair, according to NC and Buncombe County Department of Health and Human Services.

They're inspecting everything that might have created aerosolized water, including a hot tub vendor's display that produced moisture, confirmed Karen Powell, Health Director for Foothills Health District, which covers Rutherford and McDowell Counties.

The WNC Agricultural Center's building and grounds have been deemed safe for occupancy, according to NCDHHS and Ag Center general manager Matt Buchanan.

Updated counts daily

NCDHHS will update the number of confirmed cases every afternoon for the duration of the outbreak, but each county's DHHS is allowed to release information about their patients as they see fit. Check back with the Citizen Times for the latest.