Posted on 08/02/2002 1:04:57 PM PDT by colette_g
Legionnaires' '20 More Could Die'
A Deadly Disease - Factfile
An elderly man has become the first victim of the Legionnaires' disease outbreak in Cumbria.
The 89-year-old died late on Friday as the chilling warning came out that "15-20" people could die of the disease in the next two weeks.
The hunt goes on to trace the source of what is a major outbreak of the deadly disease in Barrow-in-Furness.
Four people are in intensive care and experts are working to a worst-case scenario of up to100 more cases over the next couple of weeks.
Patients are arriving at Furness General Hospital with pneumonia-like symptoms and tests confirmed the disease.
Contaminated
Ian Cumming, chief executive of the Morecambe Bay Hospitals Trust, said the source was "likely to have been a contaminated water source, such as air conditioning. We are looking at six likely areas in Barrow.
"We are bracing for 130 cases and 15 to 20 more deaths over the next two weeks. With an incubation period of five to 10 days we are keeping a close check on the situation."
All elective surgery at Furness General Hospital has been cancelled for Monday and Tuesday and other hospitals in Kendal and Lancaster are preparing to help treat as many as 10 new cases a day for the next 10 days, Mr Cumming said.
Teams investigating the outbreak believe the disease broke out in a public place in the town.
Symptoms
Letters are being sent to family doctors in the area to watch for symptoms developing in their patients.
Legionnaires' disease is normally spread through cooling and air conditioning systems.
The disease is a form of pneumonia caused by bacteria which live in water droplets.
A spokeswoman for the Public Health Laboratory Service said there are up to 200 cases of Legionnaires' disease each year.
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