Severe disease alert issued for NSW after Legionnaires' outbreak detected among people in inner-Sydney suburb
Health officials have warned locals and anyone who has visited an inner-city Sydney suburb to look out for Legionnaires' disease following an outbreak of the illness.
People who have been in the area of Potts Point in the past 10 days should be aware of symptoms of the disease, which include fever, chills, a cough and shortness of breath.
Three people aged between their 40s and 70s have recently developed the illness and are not known to each other.
South Eastern Sydney Local Health District Public Health Unit Director Dr Vicky Sheppeard said all three people are now in hospital.
'People can be exposed to the bacteria if contaminated water particles from a cooling system are emitted into the air and breathed in,' Dr Sheppeard said.
'Legionnaires' disease can develop up to 10 days after exposure. Symptoms include fever, chills, a cough and shortness of breath and may lead to severe chest infections such as pneumonia.
'People who develop this disease are diagnosed by a urine or sputum test and chest X-ray and usually require antibiotic treatment in hospital. Those most at risk are elderly people, people with underlying lung or other serious health conditions, and people who smoke.'
Legionnaires' disease is a form of atypical pneumonia caused by species of Legionella bacteria. It can't spread from person to person.
Outbreaks can occur when bacteria from environmental sources such as cooling towers above large buildings become contaminated.
The state's environmental health officers are working closely with the City of Sydney and have inspected and sampled all cooling towers within 500 metres of the homes of residents.
All managers of cooling water systems in the area of investigation have been informed to disinfect their systems.
Building owners should ensure cooling towers on their sites are operated and maintained in compliance with the NSW Public Health Regulation 2022.
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Sky News AU
8 hours ago
- Sky News AU
Severe disease alert issued for NSW after Legionnaires' outbreak detected among people in inner-Sydney suburb
Health officials have warned locals and anyone who has visited an inner-city Sydney suburb to look out for Legionnaires' disease following an outbreak of the illness. People who have been in the area of Potts Point in the past 10 days should be aware of symptoms of the disease, which include fever, chills, a cough and shortness of breath. Three people aged between their 40s and 70s have recently developed the illness and are not known to each other. South Eastern Sydney Local Health District Public Health Unit Director Dr Vicky Sheppeard said all three people are now in hospital. 'People can be exposed to the bacteria if contaminated water particles from a cooling system are emitted into the air and breathed in,' Dr Sheppeard said. 'Legionnaires' disease can develop up to 10 days after exposure. Symptoms include fever, chills, a cough and shortness of breath and may lead to severe chest infections such as pneumonia. 'People who develop this disease are diagnosed by a urine or sputum test and chest X-ray and usually require antibiotic treatment in hospital. Those most at risk are elderly people, people with underlying lung or other serious health conditions, and people who smoke.' Legionnaires' disease is a form of atypical pneumonia caused by species of Legionella bacteria. It can't spread from person to person. Outbreaks can occur when bacteria from environmental sources such as cooling towers above large buildings become contaminated. The state's environmental health officers are working closely with the City of Sydney and have inspected and sampled all cooling towers within 500 metres of the homes of residents. All managers of cooling water systems in the area of investigation have been informed to disinfect their systems. Building owners should ensure cooling towers on their sites are operated and maintained in compliance with the NSW Public Health Regulation 2022.
News.com.au
11 hours ago
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Urgent health warning after three people contract legionnaires' disease in Potts Point, Sydney
An urgent health warning has been issued for people in an inner Sydney suburb amid several confirmed cases of legionnaires' disease. Three people from Potts Point, aged between their 40s and 70s and unknown to one another, have contracted the disease, NSW Health have confirmed. NSW Health is advising anyone who visited the Potts Point area between June 8 and June 18 to be vigilant and monitor symptoms of the disease. Legionnaires' disease is a lung infection caused by the legionella bacteria, and can trigger symptoms including a fever, chills, a cough and shortness of breath. Without treatment, the disease can be fatal. The disease is not spread person to person and can sometimes be caused by environmental sources such as a cooling tower atop a large building, which can become contaminated by the bacteria. South Eastern Sydney local health district public health unit director Vicky Sheppeard said all three of those who contracted the disease have been admitted to hospital. 'People can be exposed to the bacteria if contaminated water particles from a cooling system are emitted into the air and breathed in,' Dr Sheppeard said. 'Legionnaires' disease can develop up to 10 days after exposure. 'Symptoms include fever, chills, a cough and shortness of breath and may lead to severe chest infections such as pneumonia. 'People who develop this disease are diagnosed by a urine or sputum test and chest X-ray and usually require antibiotic treatment in hospital. 'Those most at risk are elderly people, people with underlying lung or other serious health conditions, and people who smoke.' NSW Health confirmed they were working alongside the City of Sydney and have completed samples of all cooling towers with a 500m radius of the resident's homes. All managers of cooling water systems have been urged to disinfect their systems. 'Building owners should ensure that their cooling towers are operated and maintained in compliance with the NSW Public Health Regulation 2022,' a statement read. The outbreak comes after a previous outbreak of Legionnaires' disease between March and April this year, which infected 12 people and left one dead. NSW Health confirmed 11 were hospitalised during the outbreak and another was treated out of the hospital. All of those infected had spent time in the Sydney CBD between March 13 and April 5. In April, a man in his 50s died from the infection after contracting the disease nearly a month earlier.
7NEWS
12 hours ago
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Major warning over Legionnaires' disease outbreak after three Potts Points residents admitted to hospital
A major health warning has been issued after three people were hospitalised with Legionnaires' disease in NSW. Three people living in Potts Point, in central Sydney, have recently developed the disease. The people, aged in their 40s to 70s, are not known to each other. Legionnaires' disease is contracted by exposure to Legionella bacteria, and outbreaks can occur when bacteria from environmental sources such as cooling towers atop large buildings become contaminated. The disease is not spread from person to person. 'People can be exposed to the bacteria if contaminated water particles from a cooling system are emitted into the air and breathed in,' South Eastern Sydney Local Health District Public Health Unit Director Vicky Sheppeard said. 'Legionnaires' disease can develop up to 10 days after exposure,' Dr Sheppeard said. 'Symptoms include fever, chills, a cough and shortness of breath and may lead to severe chest infections such as pneumonia. 'People who develop this disease are diagnosed by a urine or sputum test and chest X-ray and usually require antibiotic treatment in hospital. 'Those most at risk are elderly people, people with underlying lung or other serious health conditions, and people who smoke.' NSW Health and City of Sydney have inspected and sampled all cooling towers within 500 metres of the infected residents' homes, and have requested that all cooling water systems in the broad investigation area be disinfected. 'Building owners should ensure that their cooling towers are operated and maintained in compliance with the NSW Public Health Regulation 2022,' NSW Health said. NSW Health urged anyone experiencing symptoms of illness to seek medical advice.
