Health authorities in Victoria are confident they have pinpointed and sanitized the origin of a deadly legionnaires’ disease outbreak in Melbourne. The discovery follows the deaths of two individuals from the illness, a man in his 60s and a woman in her 90s.
Victoria’s chief health officer reported on Monday that tests conducted on a cooling tower in Laverton North, located in Melbourne’s west, confirmed the presence of Legionella bacteria.
“We have identified one of the towers we tested, which was disinfected earlier in our investigation, as positive for Legionella,” said chief health officer Clare Looker. “This gives us increasing confidence that we have identified and already treated the source of this outbreak.”
Dr. Looker noted that the number of confirmed cases has held steady at 77 since the previous update on Sunday, indicating a decline in daily notifications compared to the previous week.
“I’m confident that we are now past the peak of cases associated with this outbreak,” she added.
Health authorities over the weekend narrowed down the likely source of the outbreak and are continuing to test cooling towers on industrial buildings in Laverton North and Derrimut, having examined at least 54 towers in the area.
Dr. Looker acknowledged the possibility of multiple sources due to the scale of the outbreak but deemed it unlikely.
“We’ve observed a decrease in case numbers following extensive disinfection efforts over the past week,” she said. “It’s uncommon to have more than one tower affected simultaneously. Until we receive all test results, we will explore all possibilities.”
Authorities advise anyone who has visited Melbourne since mid-July and experiences symptoms such as chest infection, fever, chills, cough, and headaches to seek medical advice promptly.
