Legionnaires' Disease: Managing the Health Risk Associated with Cooling Towers - regulatory impact statement, health (legionella) regulations 2001

Legionnaires' disease 1 is a potentially fatal respiratory disease caused by bacteria belonging to the genus Legionella. It particularly affects the elderly, the very young and the immunocompromised. Sufferers are admitted to hospital in 95% of cases, generally for lengthy periods, and typically spend a portion of their hospital time in intensive care. For a minority of sufferers, the disease proves fatal, while a small proportion suffer permanent disablement as a result of the disease. In total, 82 people died from Legionnaires' disease in Victoria from 1979 to 1999. During the same period, 422 people were diagnosed with the disease and recovered. It is likely that a considerably larger number contracted the disease but were not correctly diagnosed.