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An outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease in Majorca which killed a British tourist and affected 19 others has been traced to a hotel jacuzzi.
As reported by The Express, health officials on the island have identified the source in a statement in which they said they were closing their investigation.
They reported in mid-October that a 70-year-old British man had died in hospital on the island after being taken ill. Positive samples were detected at an unnamed hotel in Palmanova where several of those affected were staying.
The hotel was then closed before news of the Legionnaires’ disease outbreak became public and its water supply was shut down.
It is not clear that the jacuzzi believed to be the source belonged to the hotel that was closed down as officials did not name the establishment.
The regional health authority said in a statement: “From October 4 to November 16 we were informed of 27 cases of legionnaires’ disease linked to a particular area of Palmanova. The people affected included 26 foreign tourists who had stayed in hotels in the resort, 20 of whom were from the UK.”
A spokesman added: “The tourists affected stayed in Palmanova between August 13 and October 13.
“They have all recovered apart from the gentleman aged 70 who suffered different illnesses including diabetes and chronic leukaemia and coronary heart disease. He died in hospital on October 11.
“The investigation to determine the source of infection has concluded that it is an exterior jacuzzi tub in one of the hotels in the Palmanova area.”
Maria Ramos from the regional health authority said in October that holidaymakers who had been affected had been staying at a total of seven different hotels in the resort, making it unlikely the hotel with the greatest number of people affected was the source of the outbreak.
Since being informed of the first case on October 5, regional health authorities acting in conjunction with local police reacted by closing beach showers and a water fountain in Palmanova as well as water sprinklers and checking to make sure restaurants were not using water mist systems some were employing last in September.
Although Legionella bacteria were detected during the investigation at multiple sites those found in samples taken from people affected only coincided with those located in the unnamed hotel’s jacuzzi.
Legionnaires’ disease is a serious lung infection caused by legionella bacteria.
Initial symptoms usually include flu-like symptoms such as headaches, muscle pain and fever, with symptoms of pneumonia once bacteria begin to infect the lungs.
The disease, which isn’t contagious and can’t be spread directly from person to person, is usually caught by breathing in small droplets of contaminated water.
It can be particularly serious in people with pre-existing health conditions. Most deaths occur in people who are 70 or older.
