Scottish Legionnaires Outbreak

A third place in Edinburgh has been given an improvement notice to clean up their act in relation to the Legionnaires outbreak. The notice, served under health and safety law, relates to staff training, not the operation of cooling towers.

A second person has died from the disease. He was in his 40s with underlying health problems. Health officials have said that the outbreak has now reached its peak, with the total number of confirmed cases standing at 41 (as of 18 June 2012) and the number of suspected cases standing at 48.

So far, all of those infected have connections to the south-west of the city, where the outbreak is believed to have been caused by one or more cooling towers, tests to locate the source are still ongoing.

The latest measure, at the National Museum of Scotland orders key staff to be properly trained in the management of water systems. It comes after two other companies, Macfarlan Smith and the North British Distillery were both served with improvement notices relating to their cooling towers.

A spokesperson for the National Museums Scotland said: “We employ specialist contractors to regularly test, monitor and ensure the safety of our water systems.

“Tests have confirmed that there are no issues with Legionella in our cooling towers.

“Environmental health officers have now commented on a routine matter and have asked that the staff who appoint and oversee specialist contractors should undertake refresher training.”

The notice can be appealed by the company within the next 21 days.

Dr Duncan McCormick, from NHS Lothian, said: “The outbreak does appear to have peaked.

“Unfortunately, that does not mean that, despite the best possible treatment, patients who are already ill may not deteriorate over coming days.

“It is also the case that we would expect the number of confirmed cases to rise as suspected cases become confirmed.”