May was a very busy month for Cogency! On May 23, Cogency’s president and founder, Dr. Hung Cheung, and Environmental/Technical Specialist, Jazmin Ricks, presented at the American Industrial Hygiene Conference & Expo (AIHce) at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia. This conference was geared towards industrial hygiene, occupational public health, risk management and other professionals who deal with human health and safety. AIHce provided many ways to learn; peer-reviewed presentations, education sessions, lectures, poster sessions, etc. designed to inform public health professionals about current issues in the field.
Dr. Cheung presented “Legionnaires’ Disease, a Re-emerging Threat: Latest Investigative Tools” as a part of the Education Sessions section of the conference. This presentation focused on the history, epidemiology, prevalence, and testing of Legionella and Legionnaire’s Disease. The goal of the session was to allow OEM professionals to comprehend the newest advancements in Legionella research, prevention, and what to anticipate when OSHA or the CDC becomes involved in workplace-acquired Legionnaire’s cases.
Jazmin Ricks
Jazmin Ricks presented two posters based on two studies authored by Jazmin Ricks, Nora Cheung, Michelle J Fransen, Paul D Rockswold, Daryn Cline, Allan Burt, and Hung Cheung at the Poster Sessions section of the conference. The first, titled “Virulent strains of Legionella in a public water distribution system” discusses the presence of Legionella in the New York City public water system. In a study conducted in Manhattan during the summer of 2017, samples were taken from drinking water fountains, spray showers/public fountains, and public restrooms. These samples were then analyzed using Polymerase Chain Reactions (PCR) and Whole Genome Sequencing (WGS) in order to detect the presence of virulent Legionella.
The second poster, “Establishing Community Prevalence by investigating Legionella in the Public Water Distribution System” studies community prevalence both in New York City, New York, and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to determine what Legionella strains may exist. They also examined if these strains were genetically similar to other disease-causing strains from past infections/outbreaks.
Stay tuned for more Cogency speaking announcements!
For more information about Legionella, Legionnaire’s disease outbreaks and how to reduce your facility’s risk, contact the experts at Cogency at solutions@cogencyteam.com
