Cooling towers suspected in Spanish LD outbreak

SPAIN: Investigations are centred on local cooling towers following a legionnaires’ disease outbreak which has infected 31 people in the Pamplona/Iruña region.

The water supply controls and the characteristics of the network were checked, and their possible connection to the outbreak has been ruled out. 

This narrowed the suspicion of potential outbreaks to the cooling towers in nearby areas. Samples were taken from these facilities on Monday (7 Sept), and a closure order was issued along with a request for the implementation of preventative measures. 

As of yesterday (8 Sept), a total of 31 cases have been recorded that could be part of this outbreak, mostly in the Burlada and Villava area, and to a lesser extent in other surrounding neighbourhoods of Txantrea, Erripagaina and Sarriguren. The ages of those affected range from 35 to 90 years, with the majority being 65 or older.