Initially confirmed by the Middlesex-London Health Unit (MLHU) in early August, the source of an outbreak of Legionnaires’ Disesase continues to elude investigators.
From May 1 to September 30, a total of 30 confirmed cases were reported to the MLHU. All 30 were admitted to hospital at one point, nine were admitted to the ICU, and two died. Four cases remain in hospital today.
Despite extensive searches and sampling from 17 cooling tower sites in proximity to the cases, no samples of legionella bacteria have yet been matched to the outbreak.
“It is common in an investigation such as this one that the source of the legionella bacteria that has caused the outbreak cannot be found. We conducted our search based on the location of the cases, wind and weather patterns and the types of cooling towers in the region. Unfortunately, while some legionella was identified, none of it …