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Posts Tagged ‘legionnaire’s disease’

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Asbestos Related Disease – Patients transferred as deadly bug found

TEMPORARY measures have been taken to ensure patient safety at Fordingbridge Hospital after potentially deadly legionella bacteria was found in waterpipes.

Elderly patients and staff on Ford Ward were transferred to Lymington and Romsey hospitals while remedial work was carried out following the discovery in October. Vulnerable elderly people and those with pre-existing conditions are particularly susceptible to the disease, which is caught through breathing particles of contaminated water.

About 10 per cent of people who contract Legionnaires’ die from complications. In 2006 there were 551 cases reported in England and Wales, of which 52 died.

December 6, 2010 8:59 am - Posted by Asbestos News  | Comments ( 0 )
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Asbestos In Schools – Waltham Forest: Union campaigning for asbestos removal from schools

A UNION is campaigning for all deadly asbestos to be removed from school buildings. Waltham Forest’s Unison, the public sector union, is requesting information from people who work in schools as part of a survey of asbestos management.

They are concerned that the number of people who have suffered ill health or have died as a result of asbestos exposure is unacceptably high. A report in the summer showed that asbestos was not properly monitored in schools and steps to prevent risk from deadly bacteria were not taken.

Spot checks were carried out at four Walthamstow schools in June after the council failed to fully respond to a request for information by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).

November 8, 2010 10:40 am - Posted by Asbestos News  | Comments ( 0 )
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Asbestos Related Disease – Care home gets all-clear after killer bug scare

A CARE home has been given the all-clear following a Legionnaires’ disease scare.

A resident from Rose Court Care Home, in Radcliffe, was diagnosed with the life-threatening condition two weeks ago after suffering stomach pains.

He was taken to Fairfield General Hospital, in Bury, and treated in the intensive care unit.

But specialised tests carried out this week by the Health Protection Agency (HPA) failed to confirm the Legionella infection.

Experts now say it is “highly unlikely” that he had Legionnaires’ disease.

The man is currently being treated for pneumonia and, although he remains in hospital, he is believed to be making a good recovery.

A spokesman for HPA North West said: “An initial test suggested the presence of Legionella bacteria in a sample from the patient, so water systems in the home were tested as a precautionary measure.

“Thankfully, no evidence of a risk to residents was discovered and further testing of samples from the patient now suggest that it is highly unlikely that he is suffering from Legionnaires’ disease.”

After the man’s initial diagnosis, tests were carried out at the home, in Water Street, to find out how he contracted the infection.

No evidence of Legionella has been found, and staff, residents and their families are now being reassured that there is no risk.

Belinda Gibson, area manager for Southern Cross Healthcare, said: “The health and well-being of residents is our priority.

“Throughout the investigation and diagnosis process, Southern Cross have been working closely with the Health Protection Agency’s Greater Manchester health protection unit, the environmental health department of Bury Council, the Health and Safety Executive, and NHS Bury to minimise the potential risk to all residents and staff at Rose Court Care Home.

“We are pleased that this gentleman is making a good recovery and look forward to his return to Rose Court Care Home.”

Source: The Bolton News

Asbestos Industry News is the online voice for UK Asbestos News. The site covers information about asbestos surveying, asbestos removal, asbestos recruitment, asbestos claims, asbestos waste, asbestos legislation, asbestos inspection, asbestos training and much more. Visit www.asbestosindustrynews.co.uk, and subscribe to the RSS feed. or Subscribe to Asbestos Industry News by Email

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Legionella enquiriesRiverside Environmentalasbestos claims and compensation

October 22, 2010 8:17 am - Posted by Asbestos News  | Comments ( 0 )
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Asbestos Related Disease – Legionnaires outbreak ‘officially over’

THE Legionnaires disease outbreak in the Heads of the Valleys area in which two people died and 22 cases were recorded, is officially over.

But no single site has been identified as the cause, Public Health Wales declaring “a number of potential sources” were identified during a five-week investigation.

The last person to contract the disease linked to the outbreak area, a 12-kilometre corridor either side of the A465 Heads of the Valleys Road between Abergavenny and Llandarcy, fell ill on September 10.

October 13, 2010 12:06 pm - Posted by Asbestos News  | Comments ( 0 )
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Patients are evacuated in Legionnaires’ disease scare

Seventeen patients were removed from a hospital unit after traces of Legionnaires’ disease was found in the water supply. A routine check at the Archer Unit, in Bedford’s Health Village on Friday showed up a mild form of Legionella.

The decision was quickly taken by the Bedford Community Health Services to transfer all patients to nearby South Wing Hospital, in Kempston Road. The unit, in Kimbolton Road, has now been closed until further notice.

Assessments of the water supply within the building are now taking place. BCHS confirmed the 17 people had been moved on Friday after what was described as the discovery of a “low risk Sero Group 2’ Legionella.

October 4, 2010 8:02 am - Posted by Asbestos News  | Comments ( 0 )
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Asbestos Related Disease – Second death linked to legionnaires’ outbreak

ANOTHER person has died after contracting legionnaires’ disease in Wales’ largest outbreak. The 85-year-old man, who has not been named, died in hospital on September 11 after becoming ill.

His death has been officially linked to the outbreak, which affects the A465 Heads of the Valleys corridor between Abergavenny and Llandarcy. To date two deaths – the other person to die was a 49-year-old woman – and a total of 22 cases of the disease have been connected with the outbreak.

September 21, 2010 7:23 am - Posted by Asbestos News  | Comments ( 0 )
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Asbestos Related Disease – Legionnaires source may never be found, says expert

TIME is running out for officials hunting the source of a killer bug outbreak in the South Wales Valleys, a leading expert claimed last night. The warning came as a fourth cooling tower was shut down by officials trying to find the source of the Legionnaires’ disease outbreak.

The tower in the Cynon Valley was temporarily closed while samples were taken. A spokesman for Public Health Wales (PHW) said it would be fully disinfected before being allowed to re-open.

He said: “Following contact by environmental health officers, a company in the Cynon Valley has voluntarily closed its cooling tower in order for it to be disinfected.

“This precautionary action follows preliminary microbiological results on samples taken from the cooling tower which make it possible that legionella bacteria is there.”

But Professor Hugh Pennington, who chaired the public inquiry into the 2005 E.coli O157 outbreak, last night said officials had finally “met their match”.

He said: “I suspect that time is running out and the likelihood of them really coming down on a particular source is slim indeed.

“It may have been a bad day at the cooling tower responsible and by the time they got in there maybe things had sorted themselves out, in which case they will never be able to pinpoint the source.

“I’m afraid with the time that has passed it really looks like this time they may have met their match.”

September 20, 2010 7:35 am - Posted by Asbestos News  | Comments ( 0 )
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Asbestos Related Disease – Officials defend time lapse in announcing Legionnaires’

Public Health Wales (PHW) has defended its decision to delay alerting the public to the Legionnaires’ outbreak. Doctors were told about the outbreak in the Heads of the Valleys area on 3 September but the authorities did not inform people until four days later.

A Merthyr GP is among those questioning the time lapse during which 11 cases were linked to the outbreak of the disease and a woman died. PHW denies accusations of unnecessary delays and says it acted in good time.

Dr Gwen Lowe, a consultant in communicable disease control for PHW, told BBC Wales’ Week In Week Out the delay was necessary so the health protection team could accurately assess the situation.

She said: “The reason why we delayed the public announcement of the outbreak was to allow our clinical colleagues and our GP colleagues to have that information to enable them to act, to make sure we had all the relevant information that we needed.

“You can imagine that once you declare an area you’re interested in, people’s recall of where they have been actually becomes a bit muddied by the information that is in the public domain. “It’s very helpful to get the true and accurate information from the people who have been ill before they are aware we are investigating the cluster in a certain area.

“It was to allow us to continue with our investigations, to ensure all our clinical colleagues were up to speed, to give them all the advice

about what to do if people presented with illnesses that were compatible with legionella disease and to make sure we had all the information we needed,” Dr Lowe added.

However, some GPs, including Dr Jonathan Richards, have raised concerns over the length of time to inform the public. He said: “My own view is it is always helpful to make the public aware there is a concern. I don’t know why the

public weren’t informed at the same time as GPs. “These are difficult judgements to make as you have to say, ‘do we alarm the public if we don’t know enough?’ and ‘how important is it that we do inform the public?’

September 16, 2010 8:16 am - Posted by Asbestos News  | Comments ( 0 )
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Asbestos Related Disease – New tower closure in south Wales Legionnaires’ inquiry

Part of a third industrial cooling tower has been shut as a precaution as inquiries continue into the source of an outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease. Health officials said part of the tower at a Rhymney valley company was closed before cleaning.

This followed the separate closure of two other towers before they were disinfected. Two people have died in cases possibly linked to the outbreak. None of the premises is confirmed as the source of the outbreak. Public health experts said the way in which the Rhymney valley site was operating was considered “low risk”.

The company was seeking advice on cleaning and disinfection before restarting. Safety officers have been checking cooling towers in the outbreak area. Two other cooling towers were previously closed for cleaning, another in the Rhymney valley and one in Merthyr.

A team of more than 100 staff from 10 agencies have been working to find the source, which is believed to be in the Merthyr, Rhymney or Blaenau Gwent areas.

Hospital treatment

The total number of cases of Legionnaires’ stands at 19 with all requiring hospital treatment. Some remain seriously ill. There are four cases possibly linked to the outbreak which remain under investigation. Two of the four people have died. A 70-year-old man died in hospital on 8 September, and a 64-year-old woman died in hospital on 6 September.

September 14, 2010 7:48 am - Posted by Asbestos News  | Comments ( 0 )
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Asbestos Related Disease – Tower closed in Legionnaires’ probe

Health chiefs have closed a water cooling tower in an area where Legionnaires’ disease is suspected of claiming two lives. But the un-named company in Merthyr Tydfil, south Wales, was not confirmed as the source of the outbreak, Public Health Wales (PHW) stressed.

The firm has already fully cleaned and disinfected the tower which has since been given the green light to restart work. The action is part of an urgent investigation to find the source of the outbreak which has so far taken in the premises of more than 100 companies.

September 13, 2010 8:11 am - Posted by Asbestos News  | Comments ( 0 )
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Asbestos related disease – Experts probe Wales Legionnaires’ outbreak

An investigation is underway to find the source of a Legionnaires’ disease outbreak in Wales. Twelve people at the heads of the South Wales Valleys have needed hospital treatment and another two possible cases have been identified.

A 64-year-old woman, one of the suspected Legionnaires’ cases, died in hospital on Monday. The outbreak is being investigated by environmental health officers, the Health and Safety Executive and Public Health Wales.

September 10, 2010 9:23 am - Posted by Asbestos News  | Comments ( 0 )
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Patient from Richmond admitted to Kingston Hospital with suspected Legionnaires’ disease

A suspected case of Legionnaires’ disease was confirmed in Richmond today.

Kingston Hospital confirmed one person had been admitted with suspected Legionnaires, which is a serious form of pneumonia.

A spokesman said: “We can confirm that one patient was admitted into the trust through accident and emergency with suspected community-acquired Legionnaires’ disease.

“The Health Protection Agency (HPA) was informed as soon as tests confirmed the patient had community-acquired Legionnaires’ disease.”

Legionnaires disease is caused by bacteria called Legionella pneumophila and is caught by breathing in small droplets of water suspended in the air which contain the bug.

Symptoms can include high temperature, fever and chills, coughing, muscle pain and headaches. In severe cases it can be fatal.

The HPA is investigating the case.

August 17, 2010 7:44 am - Posted by Asbestos News  | Comments ( 0 )
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Windscreen water infection (legionnaires disease) risk

Redhills News: Windscreen wiper water may be the cause of 20% of cases of Legionnaires’ Disease in England and Wales, the Health Protection Agency says.

Stagnant, warm water is a breeding ground for the Legionella bacterium, which when inhaled causes pneumonia.  Yet adding screenwash kills the bacteria and could save lives, the Agency advised.

The finding came after researchers spotted that professional drivers are five times more likely to be infected.  Legionnaires’ disease is fairly rare. Most cases are sporadic and a source of the infection is not found.

July 1, 2010 1:27 pm - Posted by Asbestos News  | Comments ( 0 )
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