Health experts are hopeful that we now may be in the latter stages of the Legionnaires’ outbreak. As of the latest update at 4pm yesterday the number of cases stands at 82, with indications that the number of cases presenting is slowing down.
The latest reports from the Scottish Government Resilience Room (SGoRR) on the Edinburgh Legionnaires’ disease outbreak show that there are now 37 confirmed cases and 45 suspected cases: an increase of one in the total number of confirmed cases and an increase of one suspected case.
As at noon yesterday, of those cases being treated in hospital, 15 are in intensive care and 26 are on general wards. A total of 16 cases are being treated in the community, 19 have been discharged from hospital and one person has died.
Five cases are being treated outwith the NHS Lothian area. One patient is being treated in the north of England, two in NHS Tayside, one in NHS Lanarkshire and one patient from NHS Highland is now being treated in Glasgow. At this stage all these cases are considered to be linked to the south west Edinburgh outbreak.
The ages of the confirmed cases ranges between 33 and 76, with more males than females affected.
NHS 24 has received 630 calls to the dedicated helpline for Legionnaires’ disease, and the Health and Safety Executive and City of Edinburgh Council are continuing investigations into the possible source of the outbreak.
Health Secretary Nicola Sturgeon said: “These latest figures are reassuring and in line with expectations, and although it is too early to be definite they do suggest we are now in the later stages of this outbreak. All those involved are responding extremely well: NHS Lothian services are coping with the demands on them and the City of Edinburgh Council and the Health and Safety Executive continue to make significant progress in their investigation to identify the source of this outbreak.”
Dr Duncan McCormick, Chair of the IMT and Consultant in Public Health Medicine at NHS Lothian, said: “We are pleased with the slow down in the number of cases presenting and we hope this will continue over the coming days. The risk to the general public is low but anyone with concerns should contact their GP or NHS 24’s dedicated hotline on 0800 0858 531.”
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