Cases Rise in British Legionnaires' Outbreak

August 06, 2002 07:36 AM ET

LONDON (Reuters) - The number of confirmed cases in the worst outbreak of the deadly Legionnaires' disease in Britain for 17 years climbed to 82 Tuesday.

The hospital dealing with most of the cases said another 32 people were displaying symptoms "strongly suggestive" of Legionnaires'.

One 89-year-old man has already died of the flu-like disease.

The man, Richard Macaulay, died Friday just as news broke of the outbreak at Barrow-in-Furness, northwest England.

Legionnaires' disease, named in 1976 when an outbreak killed 29 people at an American Legion Convention in Philadelphia, is a form of pneumonia caused by bacteria living in water droplets.
 

Symptoms are at first flu-like, followed by fever and chills, then a dry cough.

Doctors said that of the total of 114 patients undergoing treatment for either confirmed or suspected Legionnaires' disease in this outbreak, 19 were in intensive care.

Of those, four were giving cause for concern and the other 15 were poorly but stable and comfortable.

Health officials have said more deaths are possible but have dismissed media speculation that as many as 15 or 20 people could die as too pessimistic.

There had been fears the outbreak could rival that of 1985, when 68 people were infected and 23 people died in the central English town of Stafford.

Previous outbreaks have claimed the lives of up to 20 percent of those infected.

Health officials suspect the latest outbreak began in an air conditioning unit at a local civic center. Last year, more than 200 people contracted the disease in the Spanish city of Murcia, but only a few deaths were reported.

For further information on Legionella or laboratory services for analysis of Legionella samples, please contact:
Vik Ahuja, CIAQP
Pure Air Control Services
Ph: (800) 422-7873, ext 804
Fx: (727) 592-0655
VAhuja@PureAirControls.com