A deadly lung disease linked to air conditioners and water vapor is on the rise across parts of the US, alarming health officials amid rising temperatures.
Legionnaires’ disease is a severe form of pneumonia spread through contaminated water vapor that kills one in 10 patients. It is caused by a bacteria that thrives in warm, wet and moist environments.
In North Carolina, officials have issued an alert after recording 310 cases last year, marking a 54 percent jump from the year before.
So far in 2026, officials in the state have already registered 48 infections.
In south Texas, officials in Ector County have also issued an alert over the bacteria after detecting 12 cases and two deaths between late December and early January.
And in Baltimore, Maryland, politicians have alleged the bacteria caused an outbreak this month at a federal building housing ICE detainees.
Nationwide, infections have soared nearly 1,000 percent over two decades, rising from 1,100 cases in 2000 to more than 8,000 today.
Health experts warn that warmer temperatures are allowing the bacteria to thrive in damp locations — including air conditioning units, hot tubs, water fountains and misting devices — raising the risk that it could cause an infection.
Oh boy, break out the bogus mask again.