A second person has died after being diagnosed with legionnaires’ disease during an outbreak in Melbourne’s west and north-west.
The man in his 60s became unwell over a week ago and was admitted to hospital, before dying on Thursday.
The death follows another, a woman in her 90s, who became ill suddenly on Tuesday evening and presented to hospital where she died shortly after.
In an update on Sunday, Victoria’s chief health officer, Dr Clare Looker, said another seven cases had been reported, bringing the total to 77 known cases and seven suspected cases.
Looker said authorities are seeing a reduction in the number of cases identified, suggesting that “the situation is stabilising”.
“Hopefully we are seeing the tail end of things,” she said.
Legionella is commonly associated with plumbing fixtures, humidifiers, air scrubbers and air conditioners, but can become severe when it begins in a major water source.
The outbreak began on 26 July and marks the state’s worst in more than two decades.
About 75 of the 77 confirmed cases and seven suspected cases have been hospitalised.
Authorities are inspecting more than 100 cooling towers in the Derrimut and Laverton North areas – though Looker advised that it is possible the source of the outbreak may never be found.
“The information we have to date suggests the source of the outbreak is likely linked to one cooling tower in the area,” Looker said.
“Cooling towers are the focus of this investigation, as they are the most commonly the source of legionnaires’ outbreaks.”
