Legionella Update

The latest reports from the Scottish Government Resilience Room (SGoRR) on the Edinburgh Legionnaires’ outbreak show that there are now 21 confirmed cases and 19 suspected cases.

One of the confirmed cases has died, two have been discharged from hospital and 12 are being treated in intensive care.

An emergency information leaflet will be delivered to all homes and businesses in affected areas today (Thursday). GPs have also been provided with information on spotting the signs of infection.

A dedicated NHS helpline has been set up for anyone concerned and can be reached on 0800 0858 531.

Health Secretary Nicola Sturgeon said: “The fact remains that the risk to the general public is low – however, due to the incubation period of the infection we are still expecting to see an increase in cases over the next couple of days.

“There is a now a dedicated advice line for everyone who is affected by the outbreak and households in affected  areas will receive a leaflet advising on the symptoms to look out for.

“A tremendous amount of work has been done to identify and deal with the source of infection and ongoing work is focusing on cooling towers in the area. All of the towers have been treated and the first phase of site inspections has now been completed by HSE.”

Dr Duncan McCormick Consultant in Public Health Medicine NHS Lothian said: “Our advice is that there is a very low risk to the public and people should go about their daily business as usual.

“We remain confident – based on the available evidence – that the general source of the infection has been identified and that the treatment to the cooling towers will prove successful.

“We are expecting cases to continue to emerge over the next few days.

“I would like to assure the public that the drinking water is completely safe – the virus is not passed on by drinking water or from person to person transmission.

“If anyone has any concerns we would advise them to consult their GP or the NHS 24 dedicated helpline.”

Ms Sturgeon will be making a statement on the legionella outbreak to Parliament later this morning.