Following the publication of the revised ACoP (Legionnaires Disease: The Control of Legionella Bacteria in Water Systems) by the HSE on 8th January 2001, Legionella is the source of much written and verbal comment. It is therefore important to review the whole subject of Legionnaires' disease and understand how effective control is possible.

Legionnaires' disease is caused by the bacterium Legionella pneumophilia which is widely distributed in the environment (occasionally the disease is caused by other species of the Legionella group). The bacterium can cause a pneumonia-like infection in people that is fatal in around 12% of all reported cases but can be significantly higher among at-risk groups and where it is not fatal, many of the victims suffer varying degrees of disablement.

The Legionella bacterium first hit the headlines in 1976 following an outbreak at the American Legion Convention in Philadelphia where 182 people suffered an acute respiratory disease, 29 of whom died. Subsequent investigations identified the Legionella bacteria which were, at that time, new to science.

Legionella Control / Awareness - Outbreaks

A review of stored pathology samples revealed that undiagnosed cases had occurred at least as far back as 1947. UK-based outbreaks of the disease were identified at Kingston in 1980 and Glasgow in 1984. But it was the Stafford hospital outbreak in 1985, followed by the BBC outbreak in 1988, the Corby outbreak in 1996 and more recently the Barrow outbreak in August 2002 that really raised the profile of the disease.

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