There are now at least 33 cases of legionnaires’ disease across Melbourne, with 10 people also suspected of contracting the infection, as health authorities work to identify the source of the growing outbreak.
Victoria’s chief health officer, Dr Clare Looker, confirmed the new figures on Tuesday afternoon, as she warned it was likely there were more cases in the community.
“We suspect those numbers may increase over the course of today,” Looker said.
While the source of the outbreak, which first emerged on Friday, remains unknown, Looker said the health department had been investigating possible causes. This included testing at about 18 cooling tower sites.
“Fortunately, legionnaires’ disease is not an illness that is transmitted from person to person,” Looker said. “What we are really looking for is an environmental source, and in the process of testing and sampling for that, we are disinfecting cooling towers, which should control that risk.”
Looker said those who had contracted the illness resided in metropolitan Melbourne, with the majority located in the northern and western suburbs.
“At this stage, we haven’t been able to identify a single site that has been visited by all the cases.”
Looker said most of the cases involved adults aged over 40. Most had required hospitalisation, with six people in intensive care.
“Legionnaires’ disease, unfortunately, is quite a severe form of pneumonia,” she said.
“It can affect people often who have other underlying health conditions or [are] immune-compromised and so most of our cases are hospitalised.”
Looker urged anyone who had visited or lived in metropolitan Melbourne and developed symptoms including chills, fevers, a cough or was feeling unwell to seek medical attention.
People can contract legionnaires’ disease by breathing in contaminated dust or water vapour.
On Tuesday morning, the state’s health minister, Mary-Anne Thomas, said authorities were yet to identify the source of the outbreak, which she described as “concerning”.
“Investigations are under way to properly understand the cause of the outbreak,” she said.
“But right now, it’s really important that people that are experiencing a chest infection, fever, chills and so on seek medical attention and speak with their general practitioner.”
An outbreak of the disease occurred in Sydney in December and January, with at least 10 cases confirmed.
