Legionnaires disease kills Melbourne man

HEALTH authorities are cleaning air conditioning cooling towers in the Melbourne suburb of Footscray after an outbreak of legionnaires’ disease claimed a man’s life.

The man, aged in his 50s, died today at the Western Hospital.

There are another four known cases of the flu-like illness, with a 75-year-old woman remaining in Sunshine Hospital.

Two men, aged 56 and 69, and a 93-year-old woman have already been released after treatment at Western Hospital.

Victoria’s Chief Health Officer Dr Michael Ackland confirmed the cases were linked.

“There are five people who have contracted legionnaires’ disease who have the common factor of having passed through the central Footscray area.”

It can take up to 10 days for symptoms of the potentially fatal disease to appear.

Dr Ackland said the inspection and cleaning measures being undertaken will provide a “satisfactory reduced risk” to the Footscray community, although he asked anyone who lives in or has passed through the Footscray area in the last two weeks to present themselves to their family doctor if they develop flu-like symptoms including fever, muscle aches, headaches and chills.

The first cases were discovered in December.

Dr Ackland said it was rare to find the specific cause of an outbreak, adding that cooling towers are the most common culprits.

“The problem with air conditioning towers is that they do generate a fine mist of water that will often contain legionnaires’ bacteria, and it’s because of that, that mist can float through the air and people can breathe in that bacteria.”

He also defended the current inspection arrangements for cooling towers in Melbourne’s inner west: “I am confident that the measures that have been taken over long time in the Footscray area have been appropriate to removing risks to the community.”