13.06.12
Legionnaires’ outbreak has peaked
The number of Legionnaires’ cases inEdinburghis soon expected to fall, NHS Lothian suggests. The number of people with the disease has not changed in the past 24 hours, with 88 cases confirmed or suspected.
The infection is believed to have spread through the release of contaminated vapour from cooling towers. Chemical cleaning has been carried out and two local pharmaceutical companies have been ordered to improve their cleaning practices.
Pharmaceuticals firm Macfarlan Smith has voluntarily shut a small cooling tower on its site as a precaution.
Of the 88 cases, 14 patients are being treated in intensive care, 23 in general wards and 18 in the community. 25 have been discharged from hospital and one man has died. The Health and Safety Executive is investigating the source of the outbreak.
Consultant in public health medicine at NHS Lothian, Dr Duncan McCormick, said: “The number of confirmed and suspected cases remains the same as before, which is encouraging and in line with our predictions. We do expect some fluctuation, but overall we anticipate the numbers will soon begin to fall.
“I am also pleased to note that the numbers of patients who have recovered and been discharged from hospital has risen today which is also a welcome trend.
“Staff across NHS Lothian in acute care, primary care, testing facilities, NHS 24 and in out-of-hours services are continuing their excellent work to ensure that patients receive the right care in the right place at the right time, while providing reassurance to those with concerns.”
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