Legionnaires' outbreak may be linked to north-west Melbourne shopping centres
A Legionnaires' outbreak possibly linked to two Melbourne shopping centres has left two men fighting for their lives, and a third man in hospital.
The Health Department has issued a warning over the outbreak, after all three men became ill following visits to the Airport West and Gladstone Park shopping centres between April 20 and 26.
The three men, aged in their 60s and 70s, are in hospital receiving treatment.
Two are currently in intensive care.
Health officers are now investigating cooling towers in the area to determine the cause of the outbreak.
After the first case emerged on Saturday, two more were confirmed on Thursday, Victoria’s deputy chief health officer Dr Brett Sutton said.
Dr Sutton said all three visited similar areas during their incubation periods, including the Airport West and Gladstone Park shopping centres.
“My message to people who have visited the Gladstone Park area between mid-April and earlier this week and who may be suffering from pneumonia or flu-like symptoms is to visit their GP who will assess the need for testing for the disease,” Dr Sutton said.
“The department is continuing to investigate these cases to seek to identify the possible source of their illness.”
Samples were being collected from nine cooling tower systems in the Gladstone Park area on Friday, while health officers also sought to ensure each is disinfected.
Legionnaires' disease is caused by bacteria that often grow in and spread from airconditioning towers.
Symptoms include headache, fever, chills, and muscle aches and pains.
If untreated, the disease can cause respiratory problems and pneumonia.
Authorities warned the onset can be up to 10 days after the initial contact with the bacteria,
so new cases may occur up to mid-May.
High-risk groups in the community are people aged over 50, heavy smokers, heavy drinkers, people with diabetes or chronic lung disease and those with lowered immunity.
There were 67 cases of Legionnaires' disease notified in 2017, a small increase on previous years where there are generally 40 to 50 confirmed cases.