49th Legionnaires’ victim confirmed

ANOTHER person has contracted Legionnaires’ disease following the outbreak in Edinburgh. It brings the total number of confirmed cases to 49, while the number of suspected cases is 47, the Scottish Government said.

Two men with the disease have died since the start of the outbreak on 23 May.

Health Secretary Nicola Sturgeon said: “The latest [victim] has been ill for some days, and has now been identified as a confirmed case. Over recent days, as expected, we have not seen as many cases of Legionnaires’ as we did at the peak of the outbreak, and this continues to offer reassurance that the outbreak remains under control.”

The source of the outbreak, thought to centre on cooling towers in Wheatfield Road in south-west Edinburgh, is still being investigated.