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Legionnaires' Disease Claims Another Life in Toronto

Posted on: Saturday, 8 October 2005, 09:00 CDT

Legionnaires' disease claims another life in Toronto

OTTAWA, Oct. 7 (Xinhua) -- Another previously sick resident of a Toronto nursing home died from the deadly outbreak of Legionnaires'disease, bringing the death toll to 17, but no new cases have been reported, a health official said on Friday.

All the deaths and illnesses involved only residents and staff at the Seven Oaks Home for the Aged, where the outbreak began on Sept. 25, Dr. David McKeown, Toronto's medical officer of health, told a press conference in Toronto.

Tests conducted at St. Joseph's Hospital in London, Ontario confirmed earlier autopsy results, which showed that legionnaires were indeed responsible for the deaths, he said.

There have been no new cases of Legionnaires' disease among the residents since Oct. 3. The illness, which has affected a total of 70 residents, 18 staff members and nine visitors, appeared to be under control.

Legionnaires' disease, a type of pneumonia, is not spread person- to-person, but through exposure to water-borne bacteria that can turn contaminated air-conditioning, ventilation and cooking systems into instruments of infection.

The illness was named after a severe outbreak that affected a meeting of the American Legion in Philadelphia in 1976. The water and ventilation systems at Seven Oaks Home for the Aged are being examined, and residents and staff are using bottled water until the assessment is complete.

Source: Xinhua News Agency - CEIS

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