Toronto, Canada – October 2005
A recent outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease in Toronto, Canada has claimed 21 lives, all elderly, and many others were hospitalised.  A legal case has now been sought, to the value of $600 million, claiming the defendants were “negligent” when it came to testing, diagnosing and evaluating the samples taken for Legionella Pnuemophilia.

Brighton, England – October 2005
A school in Brighton was closed after the bacteria that causes Legionnaires’ disease was found during routine checks.  The water system has now been cleaned, drained and is fully operational.  There was only ever a minimal risk to pupils and staff.

Baxter’s Factory – October 2005
The food factory hit by 2 cases of Legionnaires’ disease has now reopened and been given the all clear.  The two people affected are still in hospital.

Ludlow – September 2005
A man contracted Legionnaires’ disease whilst on holiday in Spain.  He began to feel unwell, and was rushed to hospital a few days later.  He is reported to be responding to treatment well.

South London – September 2005

Moray , Scotland - September 2005

2 workers from the Baxters food factory have been taken ill with Legionnaires disease. The factory has been closed, but managers have stressed that there is no risk to the food they have produced

South London - September 2005

The latest cases of Legionnaires disease have brought the total infected up to 12. Nine are still in hospital, and 3 have been discharged. The cases have been building over the past 8 weeks. However, no common source has been found.

Barrow-in-Furness -

Gillian Beckingham has lost her chance to appeal against the Health and Safety conviction against her. She was charged under Section 7 of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974. Seven people died as a result of a failure to draw up essential contracts to maintain the air conditioning units.

Leeds - August 2005

A man in the Leeds area has contracted Legionnaires disease. However, even after investigation, it is not clear where it came from. All cooling towers in the area were checked and all were found be have satisfactory records, according to the HSE.

Coventry - September 2005

A new radiotherapy unit at Coventry Hospital had to delay it's opening as a result of Legionella bacteria being found during routine monitoring. Immediate action was taken, and no-one was affected.

Welwyn Garden City

A builder has died as a result of contracting Legionnaires disease whilst removing redundant pipework and water tanks. However, tests have shown that no bacteria were found on the site. Investigations are still ongoing.

Scarborough

A woman died after contracting Legionnaires disease in Scarborough Hospital . She was admitted for jaundice caused by severe live damage. She possibly caught the disease from an old part of the hospital where the pipes run in the wall space. After the infection was identified, all showerheads were inspected, and filters were fitted. The Coroner wanted money to be found to replace the old building and pipes.

Norway , 62 CASES, 10 DEATHS- June 2005

The source of an outbreak of Legionnaires' disease has been linked to a purifying installation (known as a scrubber), which cleans air using water and is a common industrial cleaning unit. The emissions from a nearby cellulose plant were said to be the cause of the outbreak, due to the large amounts of water vapour spread through the air. Since this outbreak, there have been 2 more confirmed cases in the same area in August, but it is not thought they are linked.

Liverpool , 2 DEATHS- May 2005

Several people involved with the installation of a humidifier in a hotel, including the director of the company who installed the equipment, and the owner of the hotel stand for the manslaughter of two guests from a hotel in Cardiff . They are also on trial for a health and safety breach. It is believed the source of the bacteria was from the mains coming into the humidifier, which was not treated, coupled with the fact that there was no daily cleaning regime for the unit.

Primary School, Liverpool- April 2005

A leak report has stated that a primary school was at high risk from having the legionella on site due to its cold water storage tanks; parents have since refused to let their children back onto site until action is taken. There are no reports that anyone has actually contracted the disease but a report 4 months previous highlighted the tank as a very high risk and nothing was done. The school are now being forced to resolve the situation in a variety of ways.

Dublin , 1 DEATH- April 2005

A man in his 50's died from multiple organ failure after contracting Legionnaires' disease from a hot tub in a house he was viewing with the potential to buy. Samples taken from the hot tub were found to have positive levels of the bacteria. The man developed symptoms of the disease 5 days after inhaling the water droplets from the hot tub.

London , 1 CASE- March 2005

A patient caught Legionnaires' disease from an infected tap in St George's Hospital in London . There is now comprehensive monitoring in place to ensure the control measures are being dealt with correctly and effectively.