Australia’s Victoria has recorded 71 confirmed cases of legionnaires’ disease and a woman died from the disease which authorities believe started in cooling towers in Melbourne‘s industrial west.
Legionnaires’ disease is caused by the Legionella bacteria, which can only be found in natural bodies of water such as lakes and hot springs, as well as spas and some water cooling systems.And this is the reason the authorities are suspecting the cooling towers but still the source of outbreak is unknown.
The Victorian department of health said on Friday evening that there were confirmed 71 cases and seven additional suspected cases.
Health officials are advising individuals who have been in Melbourne since the middle of July to consult a doctor if they experience symptoms such as chest infection, fever, chills, cough, and headaches, ABC Australia reported.
According to Clare Looker, the Chief Health Officer, the probable source of the outbreak has been traced to water cooling towers on industrial buildings in Laverton North and Derrimut. An elderly woman in her 90s, who lived in the area, fell ill on Tuesday night and passed away after being admitted to the hospital.
Dr Looker stated that more than 100 cooling towers at industrial buildings across Laverton North and Derrimut are being inspected and disinfected by authorities. Although it may take several days for test results to confirm if one of the towers harbored the legionella bacteria, Dr Looker expressed confidence that the source of the outbreak has already been neutralized through disinfection efforts. She says, “That [belief] is really driven by some pretty compelling epidemiology and crossover of where many of our cases have visited.”
Dr Looker further said that there is a possibility that the size of the Legionnaires’ outbreak might be contained.
But she said cases may continue to rise in the coming days due to the diseases’s incubation period.
“Probably the other thing to note is that we do know there are a trickle of Legionella cases that come in across the year anyway,” ABC Australia quoted her saying.
Dr Looker said while most of the cases lived in Melbourne’s west, authorities were keeping an open mind as they investigated the possibility of weather spreading the disease across the city.
She said her understanding was that the particularly cold mid-July weather in Melbourne could have caused air to spread further at a lower level.
“There’s also a lot of work with air scientists looking at the wind patterns … the wind seemed to be travelling in the direction that we’ve seen most of our cases,” Dr Looker said.
Legionnaires’ disease is caused by the Legionella bacteria, which can only be found in natural bodies of water such as lakes and hot springs, as well as spas and some water cooling systems.And this is the reason the authorities are suspecting the cooling towers but still the source of outbreak is unknown.
The Victorian department of health said on Friday evening that there were confirmed 71 cases and seven additional suspected cases.
Health officials are advising individuals who have been in Melbourne since the middle of July to consult a doctor if they experience symptoms such as chest infection, fever, chills, cough, and headaches, ABC Australia reported.
According to Clare Looker, the Chief Health Officer, the probable source of the outbreak has been traced to water cooling towers on industrial buildings in Laverton North and Derrimut. An elderly woman in her 90s, who lived in the area, fell ill on Tuesday night and passed away after being admitted to the hospital.
Dr Looker stated that more than 100 cooling towers at industrial buildings across Laverton North and Derrimut are being inspected and disinfected by authorities. Although it may take several days for test results to confirm if one of the towers harbored the legionella bacteria, Dr Looker expressed confidence that the source of the outbreak has already been neutralized through disinfection efforts. She says, “That [belief] is really driven by some pretty compelling epidemiology and crossover of where many of our cases have visited.”
Dr Looker further said that there is a possibility that the size of the Legionnaires’ outbreak might be contained.
But she said cases may continue to rise in the coming days due to the diseases’s incubation period.
“Probably the other thing to note is that we do know there are a trickle of Legionella cases that come in across the year anyway,” ABC Australia quoted her saying.
Dr Looker said while most of the cases lived in Melbourne’s west, authorities were keeping an open mind as they investigated the possibility of weather spreading the disease across the city.
She said her understanding was that the particularly cold mid-July weather in Melbourne could have caused air to spread further at a lower level.
“There’s also a lot of work with air scientists looking at the wind patterns … the wind seemed to be travelling in the direction that we’ve seen most of our cases,” Dr Looker said.