Legionella has been detected in a hospital's water supply in Queensland a month after a patient died of sepsis, a bacterial infection of the blood and body. Today, all patients at Hervey Bay Hospital have been strictly prohibited to drink water from any other sources aside from bottled water. They were also advised to avoid showers as the facility is trying to eradicate the bacteria from their water supply.
"We have a rigorous testing process of our water in hospitals and when we have a positive result we err on the side of caution," Wide Bay Hospital and Health Service chief executive Adrian Pennington told Sky News.
Legionella is a bacteria that can cause Legionnaires' disease, a severe pneumonia when people inhale aerosols from a contaminated source like water. Early symptoms of the disease include muscle aches, tiredness, headaches, dry cough and fever, reports Gov.uk.
On April 20, a patient has died due to bacterial infection in his system that prompted the health officials of the said hospital to test their water source. They said it would take several days to determine the extent of the problem, reports ABC News.
They added that the bacteria thrived inside their plumbing fixtures where warm temperatures added to their proliferation. Legionnaire's disease is not deemed as fatal, however there is 10% risk that it could lead to complications leading to death. For hospital patients, however, it is a different story because they have weakened immune systems.
Wide Bay Hospital and Health Service (WBHHS) chief Adrian Pennington said, "What we have done over the last 24 to 48 hours is have a public health water expert on site and they have been taking tests within the system." He added that the discovery of the contamination raised concern.
