Posts shared thousands of times on social media claim Legionnaires' disease, a serious type of pneumonia, can be contracted through reusable face masks, implying that it could be mistaken for Covid-19.

According to AFP, this is false; experts say Legionnaires’ disease cannot be caught or spread via masks, and that it is not related to spikes in Covid-19.

Legionnaires’ disease is caused by a bacteria called Legionella, according to the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

When it comes to Legionella development, “places that we worry about are places with a lot of humidifying air,” said Dr Taison Bell, critical care and infectious disease physician at the University of Virginia.

“It’s not something that can persistently live on a mask,” he added. “To say that the moisture from your own breath causes Legionella, that’s just not true.”

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