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One Dead as London, Ontario, Enters Second Legionnaires’ Outbreak in Two Years

Health authorities have launched environmental testing with provincial labs to pinpoint the source of the disease cluster in the southeast of the city.

This 2009 colorized 8000X electron micrograph image provided by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows a large grouping of gram-negative Legionella pneumophila bacteria. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP-Janice Haney Carr
An air-conditioning unit sits atop a building at Lincoln Hospital in the Bronx borough of New York City in 2015. Heavy-duty rooftop air-conditioning equipment was suspected of releasing bacteria-laden mist and causing a deadly outbreak of legionnaires' disease.
The headquarters of the Middlesex-London health unit in downtown London is shown. (Mike Hensen/The London Free Press)
(Getty Images)

Overview

  • Forty-three cases have been confirmed this year, with most illnesses reported in the past week within a six-kilometre radius in southeast London.
  • The Middlesex-London Health Unit and Public Health Ontario Laboratories are conducting environmental sampling of cooling towers, water tanks and large plumbing systems to trace potential contamination.
  • Legionella bacteria thrive in warm, stagnant water and cannot spread between people, making man-made water systems the primary concern during summer months.
  • Older adults, smokers and immunocompromised individuals face heightened risk of severe pneumonia, and health officials urge those with fever, cough or shortness of breath to seek medical care.
  • Building owners and property managers are being reminded to follow manufacturer guidelines for cleaning and disinfecting cooling equipment to prevent bacterial growth.