SURREY, B.C. — Walmart Canada says it has closed one of its stores in Surrey, B.C., out of "an abundance of caution" following a small outbreak of legionnaires' disease.
Anika Malik, the company's director of corporate affairs, says in an email that the company was contacted by the health authority investigating the source of the disease and chose to close its store at Guildford Town Centre voluntarily.
Fraser Health says it has identified the bacteria that causes the disease in the cooling towers for the mall and the Walmart, but that doesn't mean they were the source.
It says seven cases of the disease have been confirmed in the past two weeks.
Fraser Health says legionnaires' disease is a pneumonia caused by the legionella bacteria, which can grow and spread in building water systems that use aerosolize water like cooling towers, hot tubs that aren't regularly drained, decorative fountains and large plumbing systems.
Individuals can get the disease by breathing water droplets containing the bacteria, although most healthy people don't develop the disease.
Those at higher risk for developing pneumonia are the elderly, smokers, people with chronic lung conditions and the immuno-compromised.
