The number of confirmed cases of Legionnaires' Disease in Auckland remains at 12, including a woman with pre-diagnosed health issues who died after contracting the illness.
Last week the Auckland Regional Public Health Service told the NZ Herald it would not say where the woman was from in Auckland to avoid sparking fears about the source of the disease, but said it was working closely with her family to determine the source of exposure over the past two weeks
The service advised yesterday it was still working with Auckland Council to instruct all business owners in the regions to shock-dose their cooling towers and industrial water cooling systems, in a region-wide effort to end the current outbreak.
Council says it is continuing its efforts to communicate with building managers and owners on the need to treat cooling towers - no matter how recently the systems may have been tested or dosed.
It says more information has gone directly to commercial and industrial businesses that use a cooling tower, instructing them on the need to treat their systems as though the Legionella bacteria was present.
The symptoms of Legionnaires' disease can include pneumonia, which may be life threatening for vulnerable people, while for others there may be little or no effect from exposure. It can't be passed from person to person and the current strain can only be contracted directly from inhaling water droplets from a contaminated source. In a typical year, only three people per 100,000 would contract the disease.
Auckland Council says it has asked that once a building's system has been treated for Legionella that building owners or managers call 09 353 9358 to register the physical address of the treated building.
Legionnaires' disease, a form of pneumonia, can be caught from the contaminated water cooling towers of large air-conditioning systems, domestic shower heads, spa pools, water blasting and soil, compost and potting mix. The risk from large air-conditioning systems is to the building's occupants and to people on the streets exposed to contaminated, wind-borne water droplets.
Legionnaires' Disease
* A form of pneumonia caused by inhaling water or soil contaminated with legionella bacteria.
* Symptoms: Muscle aches, headache, tiredness, loss of appetite and coughing. Followed by high fever, chills and occasionally diarrhoea.
* Treatment: Antibiotics.
For more information see the ARPHS website.
Do you know anyone who has contracted the disease? Email us news@theaucklander.co.nz