LHSC detects Legionella bacteria in cooling towers
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A positive test for Legionella, the bacteria that causes Legionnaires' disease, has been found at Victoria Hospital in London.
On July 9, the Middlesex London Health Unit (MLHU) declared an outbreak within a six kilometer radius in a portion of southeast London.
An updated map provided by the health unit, now shows a three kilometre radius within the original six-kilometre radius that shows the average location of all home addresses for reported cases.
As of Tuesday, the health unit had reported two deaths and 69 cases of Legionnaiers'.
london - legionnaires - july 2025
A heat map provided by the Middlesex-London Health Unit shows the general area of confirmed cases (home addresses) of Legionnaires' disease reported to the Middlesex-London Health Unit in 2025.
According to London Health Sciences Centre (LHSC), samples were taken from the cooling towers on site on July 16 and 17 and returned a positive result.
More testing is now underway to find out if the strain found at LHSC matches the strain causing the community outbreak — those results are expected back in about three weeks.
Legionella bacteria are naturally found in water sources such as hot tubs, cooling towers, hot water tanks, large plumbing systems, or parts of air-conditioning systems.
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