Thousands are alerted to symptoms following an outbreak of legionnaire’s disease in a major city.
Health officials have advised anyone who has been in Sydney’s CBD for the past 10 days to be alert to symptoms of legionnaire’s disease.
Five people who have been hospitalized since then became infected with the disease-causing bacterium after spending time in the area for the past three weeks.
Legionnaires are often associated with contaminated cooling towers of large buildings and result from the respiration of contaminated water particles.
Symptoms include fever, chills, cough, and difficulty breathing that can lead to serious chest infections such as pneumonia.
Two women and three men, aged between 40 and 70, who tested positive, spent time between Museum Station, York Street, Park Street and Martin Place.
Legionnaire’s disease cannot be transmitted from person to person.
Following are a number of other cases recently detected in Sydney.
Environmental health workers are working with Sydney City Council to review the testing and maintenance records of all CBD cooling towers.
“NSW’s public health units monitor all cases of legionnaires’ disease and work closely with councils to manage cooling towers, ”NSW Health said in a statement.
“Routine testing of cooling towers helps identify contamination early and allows for quick cleaning and corrective action.”
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