Six legionnaires cases in Melbourne

AUSTRALIA: Ninety-two building cooling systems in Melbourne business district are reported to have been disinfected following the confirmation of six cases of legionnaires’ disease.

On Wednesday, Victoria’s Department of Health and Human Services reported that five cases of legionnaires’ disease had been identified between late March and early April involving individuals who had spent time in the eastern half of Melbourne’s Central Business District (CBD) and/or Southbank.

Australia’s ABC News now reports that a sixth case has been identified, with two others under investigation.

There have been a total of 26 notified cases of this type of legionnaires’ disease from across Victoria this year, compared to 21 cases for the same period last year.

The department said a large number of cooling towers in the CBD and Southbank had been sampled and disinfected but that there have been no positive results for legionella so far, although some results were still pending.