LEGIONAIRE'S DISEASE OUTBREAK !

                    " STOKE-ON-TRENT "

       News has just been released that a person has died from legionnaire's disease in Stoke-on-Trent and that 16 others are being treated , one critical. The HSE have said that they are investigating the outbreak and that the source has not been identified, only that it's non-hospital related.

                                      (Legionella Bacteria)


       This follows the recent outbreak in early June which occurred in Edinburgh , Scotland and caused the death of 3 people and 49 other cases were identified. One company at the centre of the outbreak had been ordered by the HSE to shutdown its Cooling Towers , this was apparently served after the HSE found that they were lacking to properly control Legionella.

                  (Cooling Towers ordered to shut down in Edinburgh)


       In one of the worst outbreaks the country has seen in recent years was in Barrow, Cumbria 2002, a faulty Air-conditioning system sprayed the deadly bacteria into a alleyway outside The Art's Centre in Barrow. This particular incident resulted in the death of 7 people and 180 people contracted the disease.
       Barrow council who ran the Art's centre were found guilty of neglect regarding the maintenance of the building, for this , they received a fine of  £125,000 for breaching Health and Safety laws. ( Little comfort for the families that lost a loved one ! )

                                             (Air-con fan)

         "LEGIONAIRE'S DISEASE FACT - FILE !"

   Legionaire's is caused by a Bacteria "Legionella"


   The Bacteria got it's name in 1976 when many people went to a Philadelphia convention of the American Legion and suffered a outbreak in the hotel they were staying, the source was the air-conditioning system.


   The disease is a type of pneumonia (lung infection). Symptoms are like many forms of pneumonia , this makes diagnosis rather difficult. Prominent signs can include high fever, chills, a cough, muscular ache and headache.These symptoms appear to manifest 2 - 14 days after being exposed to the bacteria.


   Legionaire' can be very serious, death in upto 5% to 30% of cases, most cases are treatable with strong doses of Anti-Biotics.


   The Bacteria is natural in the environment but are usually found in water. The Bacteria grow best in warm water like hot-tubs, cooling towers, hot water tanks, large plumbing systems and in air-conditioning systems of large buildings.


   People contract Legionaire's disease when breathed in through vapour's (small droplets of water in the air ) eg. breathing in steam from a spa pool that has not been properly cleaned.


   People over 50 are more susceptible of getting the disease or people who are already suffering illness and have a weak immune system.


   There does not appear to be any cases where a person has contracted the disease from another person. Car air-conditioning systems appear safe also.

   
    I think one way around outbreaks would be for companies to have these systems checked every six months and after they have been serviced they receive a licence for the following six months. If they have no licence they are closed immediately until they obtain one.
    Some companies it would appear need to get their house in order, one death is one to many !