Three men are in hospital fighting Legionnaires’ disease following an outbreak linked to Gladstone Park.
The health department has issued a warning over the outbreak, after all three men became ill following visits to the Gladstone Park and Airport West shopping centres between April 20 and 26.
The three men, aged in their 60s and 70s reporting residing in our visiting the same areas in the days before they became unwell.
Two of the men are in intensive care.
Health officers are now investigating cooling towers in the area to determine the cause of the outbreak.
Deputy chief health officer, Dr Brett Sutton said the cases were linked when two were notified to the health department on May 4, following the first notification on April 28.
“My message to people who have visited the Gladstone Park area between mid-April and earlier this week and who may be suffering from pneumonia or flu-like symptoms is to visit their GP who will assess the need for testing for Legionnaires’ disease,” he said.
“The department is continuing to investigate these cases to seek to identify the possible source of their illness.”
Samples were collected from nine cooling towers in the area on May 4, with health officials ensuring each is disinfected.
Legionnaires’ disease is caused by bacteria that often grow in and spread from air conditioning towers.
Symptoms include headache, fever, chills, and muscle aches and pains, followed by respiratory problems and pneumonia.
The onset can be up to 10 days after the initial contact with the bacteria, so new cases may occur up to mid-May.
High risk groups in the community are people aged over 50, heavy smokers, heavy drinkers, people with diabetes or chronic lung disease and those with lowered immunity.
There were 67 cases of Legionnaires’ disease reported in 2017, a slight increase from previous years when there were between 40 and 50 cases.
