Victorian health authorities are racing to trace the source of a sudden outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease in Melbourne as the number of people infected surges.
There are now 33 confirmed cases and a further 10 suspected cases – up from 22 and eight respectively earlier today.
Victoria’s Chief Health Officer Dr Clare Looker said it was a “significant” outbreak and she expected more infected people would be identified in the coming days.
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The state typically sees a “trickle” of three to six cases of Legionnaires’ disease diagnosed a week.
“We are concerned – this is a significant increase on normal,” Looker told a news conference this afternoon.
“Fortunately, Legionnaires’ disease is not a disease that is transmitted person to person so what we are looking for is an environmental source.”
Most of those diagnosed are seriously unwell and are being treated in hospital, including six people who are critically ill in ICU.
The majority of the sick are men and all are aged over 40.
However, anyone who lives in or has visited metropolitan Melbourne is being urged to be on alert for the disease, which can prove deadly if left untreated.
If symptoms develop, they should seek urgent medical care.
Legionnaires’ disease is a rare but severe form of bacterial pneumonia.
It can cause a chest infection, leading to fever, chills, a cough, headaches and muscle aches and pains.
Less common symptoms include nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea and confusion.
The infection is caused by Legionella bacteria, which are widespread in natural bodies of water such as rivers, lakes, creeks and hot springs.
They are also found in spas, warm water systems and artificial systems that use water for cooling, heating or industrial processes, such as cooling towers.
It is spread by breathing in fine droplets of water that contain Legionella bacteria.
While there have been reports of cases spreading through spas, misting devices and air scrubbers, Looker believes a cooling tower is the most likely culprit.
The health department conducted nine inspections of cooling towers at sites visited by infected individuals yesterday, and a further nine are expected to be completed today.
The cooling towers are also disinfected during the inspections.
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All of the people with Legionnaires’ disease identified so far in the latest outbreak live in or have visited metropolitan Melbourne, with a higher number of cases in the northern and western suburbs.
However, Victoria Health has been so far been unable to identify a single source.
“These cooling towers, if they are infected, that airilisation of the bacteria can travel quite a distance so you might not have necessarily visited the exact site but have been in close proximity,” Looker explained.
Adults over 40 years of age are most at risk of developing serious illness, especially smokers and those with other medical conditions including lung, heart, liver and kidney diseases, diabetes and those who have a weakened immune system.
Earlier this year, an outbreak in Sydney saw seven people hospitalised after exposure to an unknown source.
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