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A deadly legionnaires’ disease outbreak first declared in London in July is officially over, public health officials said on Friday.
Two people died, nine were admitted to intensive care, and one person remains in hospital as a result of the disease, officials with the Middlesex-London Health Unit said. They note there was a total of 30 confirmed legionella cases, adding that all 30 were hospitalized at some point.
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The health unit said the most recent date a reported case started feeling ill was on Sept. 14, which is 24 days since any new cases have developed.
As a result of the time elapsed since the last case, “the outbreak is considered over,” officials said in a statement.
Despite collecting environmental samples from 18 cooler tower sites near the geographic location of the cases, no samples have detected the legionella bacteria identified as a match for the cases. Cooling towers are a water-cooling device used in HVAC and industrial systems.
The health unit said its most recent samples are still with Public Health Ontario’s lab and a source of the bacteria could be found. If the source is discovered, the public will be notified and the source sanitized, officials said.
Most people with the disease may only have mild symptoms and never get tested, but those with confirmed cases had other conditions that increased their vulnerability to severe symptoms.
Legionnaires’ disease is a severe respiratory illness that can cause fever, chills and a dry cough.
Legionella bacteria can be found in warm water sources such as air-conditioning systems, hot water tanks and heaters and plumbing systems. Though not considered contagious in person-to-person transmission, legionnaires’ disease can be spread when the bacteria is aerosolized by fans or wind and people breathe it in.
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