The voices in the aftermath of the health emergency: «They told us not to fear but we have friends who have been hospitalized for weeks. We older people are scared”
The problem is cyclical, and so are the complaints. “And yet no one ever listens to us.” Awareness among the residents of the San Siro neighborhood of the emergency it hasn’t surfaced yet, but the new alarm is not surprising. At the news of the outbreak, most people shrug: «Legionella? Again?», is the refrain in the maze that connects Rembrandt and Martinetti streets, Tracia and Preneste.
«Everyone who lives here has an acquaintance who has been hospitalized for the bacterium in the last two years — comments Mrs. Anna, 81 years old, walking the dog in via Morgantini —, this time we were not notified.” Not directly, at least: «This has been going on for some time, a friend of my daughter’s has been at Sacco for three weeks -, interjects Luisa, a peer and walking companion. She has been very ill, and is not over forty. I don’t know what could happen to people our age.” Precautions? “We don’t know which ones to take – they comment in unison -, in these cases an adequate information campaign would be appropriate”.
Moving a few hundred metres, in via Preneste 1, perplexity pervades those across the street from what was the house of the anarchist Pinelli. “I don’t know anything about it, I’m worried about Covid and cockroaches” says Mr. Angelo, closing the gate of the Aler condominium behind him. Gate from which Farsana, originally from Iran, peeks out into a building inhabited by many foreigners. «Someone knocked a few days ago to tell us not to drink tap water – explains -. We asked why, we were told generically that there was a problem with the water.” At number two on Via Tracia the examination is more complex. Maria Ialongo, 74 years old, looks out of the window on the ground floor. «A tenant on the third floor has been hospitalized for at least two weeks – he says -. We’ve been asking the condominium administrator for information for months. He replied that the water is fine, that we have nothing to fear. I can’t imagine what would have happened if we had had to fear something. We are scared, but no one cares.”
Municipality 7 does not currently plan information actions and refers responsibility to the health authorities. President Silvia Fossati states: «The management of measures and interventions in these cases is the responsibility of Ats».
The last legionella outbreak in the city dates back to this summer. In that case the bacterium affected another neighborhood with public housing in Crescenzago, in via Rizzoli. In that case all the infected people lived in the Mm buildings. The Palazzo Marino subsidiary carried out extraordinary disinfection interventions on the systems once the cluster emerged. The ATS toll at the end of July recorded one death and nine infected.
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