Edinburgh Legionnaires' outbreak: 21 confirmed cases, 19 more suspected

The number of people with Legionnaires’ disease in Edinburgh is set to increase by the weekend, according to health officials.

More people are expected to be diagnosed in the next few days as a result of the incubation period of the disease.

One man with underlying health problems died while being treated in hospital on Tuesday.

Health Secretary Nicola Sturgeon confirmed in a press conference Wednesday afternoon that there were 21 confirmed cases, 12 of which are being treated in intensive care, and a further 19 suspected cases. Two people who had been treated have already been discharged.

The majority of victims are men, aged between 30 and 80 years old.

Ms Sturgeon confirmed the first case in the outbreak was identified last Thursday, and the second on Saturday.

The majority of those are linked geographically to the Dalry, Gorgie and Saughton areas in the south west of the Scottish capital.

People displaying symptoms of the disease are being asked an array of questions including if they have been at any large public gatherings including the Heart's Scottish Cup Victory Parade last month and Jubilee street parties this weekend. These are routine questions for investigating an outbreak and evidence at this time suggests no link with the either of these events.

Ms Sturgeon said: "No link has been identified between these patients other than a general association with the affected area in the south west of Edinburgh.

"Now what that does is underline the view that the source of this infection is an outdoor community source and not an indoor specific source which would be the case if it was a spa in a hotel that that points to cooling towers in the south west of Edinburgh."

The health secretary added: "This is the most significant Legionnaires' outbreak we have had in Scotland for a long, long time, perhaps since the early 1980s.

"It's a significant outbreak and it's the cause of understandable concern, but it's also resulting in all of the relevant agencies working together very closely, both to manage the outbreak and ensure that patients have the right treatment, and to identify the source as quickly as possible.

"There are in any given year in Scotland some 35-40 cases of Legionnaires' disease identified. About half of them are thought to be contracted overseas by people who have been travelling."

NHS Lothian has confirmed that 16 cooling towers in the south west of the city have been identified as possible sources and have been subject to chemical shock treatment to kill the potentially deadly bacteria.

Cooling towers

The sites investigated include pharmaceutical company MacFarlan Smith in Gorgie, Burton's Biscuits in Sighthill and the North British Distillery.

A spokesman for the North British Distillery in Edinburgh said said: "Our thoughts are clearly with the families of those affected by this situation.

"The North British Distillery is actively working with the relevant authorities on the matter and supporting their ongoing inquiries to ascertain the source of the Legionella bacteria.

"Industrial cooling towers are only one potential source of infection, and the North British Distillery is one of a number of sites in the area with industrial cooling towers.

"The site has been inspected and nothing of concern was found. However, we are awaiting the results of the analysis of the samples taken by Edinburgh City Council Environmental Health Department.

"We wish to reassure the local community that we will comply fully with any guidance issued by the relevant agencies."

A spokeswoman for Burton's said: "Our facility at Sighthill Industrial Estate in Edinburgh, is one of the sites in the South West Edinburgh area that Environmental Health has taken cooling tower samples from.

"Manufacturing at the plant is continuing as normal."We will issue further updates as they become available."

Three cooling towers at the office of finance company Aegon at Lochside Crescent at Edinburgh Park were also treated on Monday.

Source traced

Dr McCormick public health consultant for NHS Lothian told the BBC: "The incubation period of Legionnaires' disease is between two and 14 days but the average is five or six days, so we're expecting to have more cases over the next few days.

"But if our evidence and reaction have been correct, we hope to have removed the source through our shock treatment of these cooling towers.

"We'd hope that by the weekend - five or six days after the treatment, we'll start to see a decline in cases."

Scottish ministers will meet later on Wednesday to discuss the outbreak.

Health Secretary Nicola Sturgeon will chair a meeting of the Scottish Government's Resilience Committee on Wednesday, where she will be updated on the situation.

Speaking on Good Morning Scotland, Sturgeon said there was "a strong working assumption" the source of the outbreak had been traced.

She said: "Health Protection Scotland are taking the appropriate steps to identify the source as quickly as possible.

"There’s the strong working assumption surrounding cooling towers in the south west of Edinburgh and those towers have been chemically treated.

"While the source is being investigated it is important not to point fingers at individual companies."

Sent home

The wife of one man being treated in intensive care has spoken out after her husband Rick Gibb, 54, was initially sent home with tablets for a stomach complaint.

Margaret, 61, told the Daily Record: "I thought he was a goner. He was absolutely ashen. I have seen a lot of dead people in my time and he was that same colour. I thought I was coming home from the hospital a widow."

He became ill on Friday with a fever, diarrhoea and muscle pain. By Sunday was struggling to breathe but after an appointment at the Western General Hospital he was told to go home.

However, on Monday his condition deteriorated and he was disorientated and very confused.

Mrs Gibb added: "If you can’t breathe, there is something wrong with you and it beggars belief that he was sent home with something for diarrhoea. The doctors now say that he has Legionnaires’ disease, pneumonia and an infection in both lungs."

Fingers crossed

Microbiologist Professor Hugh Pennington described a "bad outbreak" of "one of the most serious infections that we cope with in the UK". He added that health chiefs would be "keeping their fingers crossed" that the worst is over.

Professor Pennington told the Telegraph: "It’s quite a big outbreak; unfortunately somebody’s died – I’m afraid not too surprising because it’s one of the most serious infections that we cope with in the UK at the present time. A lot of people are in intensive care which will be putting a lot of pressure on Edinburgh Royal Infirmary. It’s a bad outbreak.

"The source is thought to be cooling towers in the south west of Edinburgh. The bug actually gets into water droplets which are released from these cooling towers and it spreads on the wind. It can spread quite a long way on the wind and still be infectious so that’s why there’s such a large area that’s under suspicion. Basically, at the moment, it’s doing these things: treating the cooling towers, treating the patients, and an element of keeping the fingers crossed."

A dedicated helpline has been set up by NHS24 to provide advice on Legionnaires. Anyone with any concerns should contact 0800 0858 531

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