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Legionnaires’ outbreak update
16/07/2012
The latest reports on the Edinburgh Legionnaires’ outbreak show that one further person has been confirmed with the illness.
The person has been unwell for some time, and this brings the total number of overall cases to 101.
The total number of confirmed cases is 53 and the number of suspected cases remains at 48.
At noon today, of those cases being treated in hospital, there were two patients in intensive care and five on general wards.
A total of 20 cases are being treated in the community, 61 have been discharged from hospital and three people have sadly died.
Ten cases are being treated outwith the NHS Lothian area. The ages of the confirmed cases ranges between 32 and 85, with more males than females affected.
Investigations into the source and cause of the outbreak continue. Lothian and Borders Police and the Health and Safety Executive are jointly investigating the circumstances of the deaths under the direction of the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) Health and Safety Division.
Health Secretary Nicola Sturgeon said:
“Over recent days as expected, we have not seen as many cases of Legionnaires’ as we did at the peak of the outbreak, and this continues to offer reassurance that the outbreak remains under control.
“I would continue to urge anyone who is concerned they may have ongoing symptoms of Legionnaires’ to contact NHS 24 or speak to their GP.
"NHS Lothian are maintaining high quality care for patients who remain unwell and investigations continue to identify and deal with the source of the outbreak."