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Renowned hepatologist Dr. Cyriac Abby Philips has slammed devotees at a Vrindavan temple enthusiastically drinking water flowing from an air conditioner vent, believing it to be ‘charan amrit’ - a revered donation of holy water. The video - extensively shared on social media, shows scores of believers collecting the water by cupping their hands or using cups, motivated by the notion that it was blessed.

According to Dr. Philips, the condensate water formed due to high moisture content in the air is a breeding ground for many kinds of infections, including the deadly E. Coli bacteria, which can cause grave health issues.

Dr. Philips said exposure to this water can lead to Legionnaires' disease - a severe form of pneumonia - lung inflammation usually caused by infection. It's caused by a bacterium known as legionella. "Cooling and air conditioning systems are breeding grounds for many types of infections including fungus, some really hellish, he wrote on social media site X. “People get infected by inhaling infected water droplets or aspirating small amounts of contaminated water into the lungs,” he added.

According to news reports, the water was discharged from an air conditioning unit flowing through tubes shaped like elephants - part of the temple's architecture. Despite the clarification, several followers continued to drink the water, as seen in the video, despite a spectator attempting to advise them that the liquid was not holy water, but just AC runoff.

Legionnaires’ disease is a type of lung infection you get from breathing in Legionella bacteria – affecting various organs in your body, including, the brain and gut. Legionella bacteria also leads to Pontiac fever - a less serious illness with flu-like symptoms.

According to experts, legionnaires’ disease can be life-threatening.

While most people do not easily get Legionnaires’ disease even if they have been around Legionella bacteria – some are more likely to get sick with the infection than others, due to being:

• Older than 50 years of age
• Smoking
• Having a weakened immune system
• Having a long-term respiratory illness like COPD
• Having stayed in a hospital recently.
• Had surgery requiring anesthesia recently
• Received an organ transplant recently

Signs and symptoms of Legionnaires’ disease

Doctors say Legionnaires’ disease causes pneumonia-like symptoms that start two to 14 days after exposure to Legionella. You may also have neurological (brain) and gastrointestinal (gut) symptoms. A few symptoms of Legionnaires’ disease include:

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