People travelling to Italy have been warned about an outbreak of the deadly disease which has killed four people, which the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) has highlighted, as has the foreign ministry-backed website Travel Health Pro.
In an update yesterday (23 August), the ECDC announced that Legionnaires' disease had been detected in the Milan Metropolitan Area (Corsico and Buccinasco) in Lombardy, with 12 people currently hospitalised.
As of August 19, 2024, a total of 53 cases have been confirmed, including four deaths, and emergency control measures are being implemented to prevent the spread of infection and the occurrence of new cases.
Officials say people in the area may be at risk of infection as the source of the infection has yet to be identified.
The ECDC said the infected people range in age from 26 to 94. All four of the people who died were over 70 and had other health conditions, officials said.
Overall, 12 patients are currently hospitalized, 37 have been discharged and four have died.
Extensive investigations are underway to trace the route of infection, with the ECDC saying: “Epidemiological, microbiological and environmental investigations are ongoing. Water samples have been taken from both private water systems and cooling towers of case/control homes, and from multiple sampling points in the municipal water system.”
“Collection of respiratory samples from patients and typing of isolated Legionella strains are ongoing to help identify the source of infection. Public health actions, including chemical disinfection with chlorine of the municipal water system and private homes, remain in place to prevent the spread of infection and the occurrence of new cases.”
Legionnaires' disease is caused by inhaling Legionella bacteria in water vapor. People over 50 years of age are at higher risk of developing Legionnaires' disease than younger people, as are those with weakened immune systems or underlying medical conditions.
