Auckland is finally out of the woods now that the legionnaires outbreak which caused the death to two people has been declared over.
Auckland Regional Public Health Service said there were 17 confirmed cases of Legionella pneumophila (Lp1) between February and July, however confirmed cases has returned to its normal background rate, with only two cases confirmed over the past 78 days.
The source of the outbreak was never identified. Authorities are considering the possibility of multiple sources taking into account the geographical spread of cases.
As a precaution, building owners were advised to shock dose their cooling systems and conduct a test for the presence of Legionella after three to seven days.
From Twitter…
News: Auckland‘s legionnaires disease outbreak over http://t.co/ISylvgxB
— SBHealth (scarletBLACK Health) (@SBHealth) Wed Jul 11 2012
Legislative changes maybe pushed by an inter-agency working party which formed to deal with the outbreak, which includes the public health and building industry groups. Such changes would include making it mandatory for building owners to log their cooling towers on a register and require owners to test for the presence of Legionella every month , Auckland Council building control manager Ian McCormick said.
The locations of all known cooling towers has now been added to the APRHS’s database
Medical Officer of Health, Dr Simon Baker, said the outbreak increased awareness of risks and the need for improved surveillance of vulnerable water systems.
