Worried health chiefs were today probing whether a deadly bug in the water supply killed a man who drank water at a Co Londonderry prison. Experts at the Western Health and Social Services Board were today meeting with the Prison Service to discuss how to prevent an outbreak of deadly legionnaires' disease at Magilligan jail.

Bacteria responsible for the disease was found in water in the health care unit of Magilligan Prison, the Prison Service confirmed after a terminally ill prisoner tested positive for the bacteria and died just over a week ago.
He had been treated in the health care centre and was transferred to the Causeway Hospital on January 29 but died on February 8.

Dr Richard Smithson, consultant in communicable disease control with the WHSSB, today described the discovery at Magilligan as "a concern". And he said efforts were being made to find out if the bug had got into areas where it could be hurled into the air supply, when it is most dangerous.

"We are planning to meet today with the Prison Service and at the moment action has been taken by removing prisoners from the medical wing," he said. "The bacteria can cause pneumonia. However the person who died had a terminal illness and it is often people who are already vulnerable who contract legionnaires' disease.

"Obviously an incident such as this in a prison is a concern and today we will be discussing how to move forward and make sure this does not happen again. "Something like putting on a tap or shower fast can cause small particles to splay into the air for a short space of time where it could be inhaled, and we will be looking into whether that happened and how it could be prevented." Last Thursday, the Prison Service announced the death of prisoner John Russell.

A statement said: "Mr Russell, who was housed at Magilligan Prison, died after a long illness.
"As with all deaths in custody, the Prisoner Ombudsman has been advised. "

The discovery comes six months after a similar incident directly opposite the facility on the other side of Lough Foyle.
A province-wide alert was sparked in August after a luxury hotel in Donegal closed its spa pool due to high levels of legionella bacteria.

Guests at the Carlton Redcastle Hotel near the Derry/Donegal Inishowen border were ordered out of the pool after test results were found to be above the acceptable levels of the bacteria.

However, Dr Smithson said that the discoveries of legionella are not likely to be linked.

http://www.belfasttelegraph.co1-.uk/news/local-national/article2275643.ece?service=print
 
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