1999 Bovenkarspel legionellosis outbreak

{{Short description|Outbreak of legionellosis in Bovenkarspel, the Netherlands}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2024}}

{{coord|52.70223|N|5.25101|E|type:event|display=title}}

{{Infobox event

| title = 1999 Bovenkarspel legionellosis outbreak

| image = Legionella pneumophila 01.jpg

| image_size =

| image_alt =

| caption = Legionella pneumophila bacterium

| time =

| duration =

| date = {{start date|1999|02|25|df=yes}}

| venue =

| location = Bovenkarspel, the Netherlands

| coordinates =

| also known as =

| type =

| cause =

| first reporter =

| participants =

| outcome =

| casualties1 =

| casualties2 =

| casualties3 =

| reported deaths = at least 32

| reported injuries = 206

| reported missing =

| reported property damage =

| burial =

| inquiries =

| inquest =

| coroner =

| arrests =

| suspects =

| accused =

| convicted =

| charges =

| verdict =

| convictions =

| publication bans =

| litigation =

| url =

| blank_label =

| blank1_label =

| blank2_label =

| website =

| notes =

}}

The Bovenkarspel legionellosis outbreak ({{langx|nl|Legionellaramp}}; Legionella disaster) began on 25 February 1999 in Bovenkarspel, the Netherlands, and was one of the largest outbreaks of legionellosis in history.{{cite news |language=nl |url=http://www.volkskrant.nl/vk/nl/2844/Archief/archief/article/detail/525339/1999/03/18/Een-van-de-grootste-uitbraken-in-de-geschiedenis.dhtml |title=Een van de grootste uitbraken in de geschiedenis |trans-title=One of the largest outbreaks in history |first=Gerbrand |last=Feenstra |work=De Volkskrant |date=18 March 1999 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140819084648/https://www.volkskrant.nl/vk/nl/2844/Archief/archief/article/detail/525339/1999/03/18/Een-van-de-grootste-uitbraken-in-de-geschiedenis.dhtml |archive-date=19 August 2014}} With at least 32 dead and 206 severe infections, it was the deadliest legionellosis outbreak since the original 1976 outbreak in Philadelphia, United States.

Between 19 and 28 February 1999, the Westfriese Flora took place in Bovenkarspel, one of the largest indoor flower exhibitions in the world (later the Holland Flowers Festival). A vendor had several recreational hot tubs on display, with one of them filled from a long-inactive firehose and heated to 37 degrees Celsius (98.6 degrees Fahrenheit). In the water that had previously stagnated inside the hose, a very aggressive type of legionella pneumophila bacterium had developed.{{cite book|last1=Mahon|first1=Connie|title=Textbook of Diagnostic Microbiology|date=2014|publisher=Elsevier Health Sciences|isbn=9780323292610|page=416|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rdDsAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA416}}{{cite journal|last1=Cunha|first1=BA|last2=Burillo|first2=A|last3=Bouza|first3=E|title=Legionnaires' disease.|journal=Lancet|date=23 January 2016|volume=387|issue=10016|pages=376–85|pmid=26231463|doi=10.1016/s0140-6736(15)60078-2|s2cid=28047369}}