Cooling towers blamed for outbreak of deadly Legionnaires' disease

Cooling towers blamed for outbreak of deadly Legionnaires' disease that has killed one man and claimed 61 victims - and the toll will getter higher

• Bacteria thought to have been transmitted via droplets of infected water from cloud of gas rising into the air
• Laborer Robert Air, 56, dies from deadly bug in Edinburgh Royal Infirmary
• Tens of thousands at risk as epidemic could spread 44 square miles from source
• Scotland's health secretary expects the number of cases to peak over the weekend
• Symptoms include coughing, chest pains, fever and chills

By Phil Vinter and Emma Reynolds


A man has died and another 12 patients are critically ill in intensive care following an outbreak of Legionnaires’ Disease.
The dead man has been named locally as Robert Air, 56, from the Seafield area of Edinburgh, who had reportedly been working as a labourer on a building site in Gorgie before becoming unwell.
In total at least 61 people in Scotland are thought to have been struck down by the infection.
Confirmed cases increased to 24 by last night while a further 37 people are suspected to have the illness, the Scottish Health Secretary said. Five people have since been discharged from hospital.
Health officials admit the number of victims will continue to rise as it can take up to two weeks for people to present symptoms after being infected with the disease.
But the country's health secretary Nicola Sturgeon said she expects the number of cases to peak over the weekend.
Legionnaires’ is a potentially fatal lung infection caused by the Legionella bacteria. It is caught by breathing in contaminated water droplets and cannot be spread from person to person.
In this instance, the Scottish health authorities believe that the bacteria found their way into one of several cooling towers in the south-west of Edinburgh.
The tower then emitted a cloud of vapour with the bacteria in the tiny water droplets
They were mainly living in the Dalry, Gorgie and Saughton areas in the south-west of the city. The patient who died was in his 50s and had another health condition.
Ms Sturgeon said that 16 cooling towers that have been identified as possible sources of the outbreak were chemically treated on Sunday night and Monday morning.
She said: ‘Given the incubation period for Legionnaires’ disease, we would expect to see further cases emerge over the next few days.
‘As you would appreciate, that’s a complex process because it involves, in many cases, dealing with critically ill patients.

KILLER BUG SPREADS LIKE WILDFIRE THROUGH WATER SUPPLY

Legionnaires' disease is a potentially fatal lung infection caused by the bacteria legionella.
The bacteria is commonly found in any freshwater areas but can sometimes find its way into artificial water supply systems.
It is contracted when small droplets of contaminated water in the air are breathed in, but is not spread from person to person.
The elderly, smokers, diabetes sufferers, those with kidney disease and cancer patients are most at risk, and men are three times more likely to contract the disease than women.
Symptoms of the disease include headaches, muscle pain, high fever, chills, a persistent cough, shortness of breath, chest pains and sometimes vomiting and diarrhoea.
About half of those who contract the disease experience changes to their mental state, such as confusion.
Symptoms can start between two and 14 days after exposure.
The disease is treated by intravenous antibiotics.
Around 10% of people victims will die from arising complications.
Large buildings such as hotels, hospitals and museums are more vulnerable to contamination because they have larger, more complex water supply systems, which can let the contamination spread quickly.