Legionella outbreak in Linz reaches 32 cases, three deaths

Thirty-two people have contracted Legionella in and around Linz and three have died, while health authorities continue searching for the source, ORF reported. Five patients remained in hospital, according to a joint statement from the state of Upper Austria, the Linz-Land district authority, Linz city authorities and the Agency for Health and Food Safety.

A cooling system at a commercial business in the Linz-Leonding area tested positive for Legionella on Thursday. It was immediately shut down and disinfected. Further testing will be carried out after the cleaning is completed.

Helmut Salzer, an infectious disease specialist at Kepler University Hospital, told ZiB 2 that such systems should be subject to mandatory disinfection rules and recorded in a central register. He also pointed to the distance that fine water droplets released by cooling towers can travel.

There have been reports of outbreaks in which infections occurred several kilometres from the source, Salzer said. He added that the individual risk was low, but advised people to seek medical attention quickly if they developed symptoms suggesting pneumonia.

Legionellosis, also known as Legionnaires’ disease, is a severe and sometimes fatal form of pneumonia. Legionella bacteria occur naturally in soil and water. Infection can occur when water containing the bacteria is inhaled as a fine mist, or aerosol. Seasonal clusters are particularly common in summer and early autumn.