Legionnaires Disease

After the outbreak in Mebourne, a third person in Victoria has just been confirmed dead because of Legionnaire’s disease.


Anyone with the symptoms of the bacteria who was in the Doncaster area and Westfield Doncaster shopping centre before May 26, has been advised to get tested for the illness.

There have been 40 cases of the disease this year in Victoria, compared with 23 cases for the same period in 2009, in which four people died from the disease.

In Macao last May 27, a resident was confirmed to have the disease. This case in Macao was classified as an “isolated” incident since the resident did not travel outsiede the city 10 days before getting ill, and none of which that made contact with him fell ill.

The Legionnaires’ disease is an infectious disease caused by a bacteria that belongs to the genus Legionella. An approximate of 35 species of Legionella are known to produce the disease.

The disease is also known as Legion Fever. It is a severe form of infection that produces pneumonia. The fatality of the disease has ranged from 5% to 30% during outbreaks. The death rate for patients inside the hospital who develop the disease is close to 50%. The “favorite” of the disease are those who are in middle-age or older