‘Potential source’ of Legionnaire’s disease ‘identified and isolated’

Public health and environment officials investigating the recent cases of Legionnaire’s disease have identified and isolated a potential source of infection, No.6 Convent Place said at the weekend.

Four cases of the disease have been detected since September and officials have been working to establish whether there was a common source of infection. One patient died from the disease.

“The Director of Public Health [Dr Helen Carter] confirmed that, following the laboratory results of samples, a potential common source of infection has been identified and immediately isolated,” No.6 said in a statement.

“The Director of Public Health has been assured by water specialists that the risk from this potential source has been mitigated to the extent that it poses no significant risk of further infection.”

“Further sampling and testing will be undertaken to confirm that this was the source of infection of the four known cases to have been diagnosed in Gibraltar since September.”

The update was provided by Dr Carter following a virtual meeting on Friday of the Strategic Coordination Group for Legionnaire’s Disease, chaired by the Minister for Health, Gemma Arias-Vasquez.

No further details of the potential source have been released at this stage, with further tests still being carried out to confirm the hypothesis.

“His Majesty’s Government of Gibraltar can't provide details on an ongoing investigation,” a spokesperson for No.6 told the Chronicle.

“However the public can be assured that expert advice has been sought and appropriate action taken to isolate any location identified as a potential source of these infections and therefore remove the risk.”

“The GHA and Director of Public Health are constantly reviewing the data as soon as it becomes available in order to rule out potential sources from the investigation.”

Dr Carter confirmed there had been no further cases of the disease identified in Gibraltar.

A patient who was receiving treatment at St Bernard’s Hospital is now at home and doing well.

“The quick action of the Director of Public Health and the Environmental Agency to isolate this potential source means that it no longer poses a danger of causing further infections,” Ms Arias-Vasquez said.

“The samples will now undergo further specialist testing to identify whether or not it was a source of infection for one or more of the cases.”