Legion bug outbreak claims victim no 2

A second person has died after catching Legionnaires’ disease in the outbreak in Edinburgh, NHS Lothian said.

The man, who had significant pre-existing underlying health conditions, died in Edinburgh Royal Infirmary.

The health board said he was one of the confirmed cases in the outbreak, which began in the Scottish capital at the beginning of June.

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The first man to die was named as Robert Air, 56, from the Seafield area of the capital, whose death was reported on June 5.

There are now 40 confirmed cases and 48 suspected cases.

The Health and Safety Executive and Edinburgh City Council continue to investigate the possible source of the outbreak in the south-west of the capital.

Health chiefs investigating the outbreak yesterday served an improvement notice on the National Museum of Scotland in the capital. Edinburgh City Council said the notice relates to staff training issues and not the operation of cooling towers.

Health Secretary Nicola Sturgeon said last night: “My sincere condolences go to the family and friends of the patient who passed away in Edinburgh tonight in a case linked to the outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease in the city. My thoughts are with them at this very difficult time.

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“Despite this sad and tragic development, it remains the case that we believe the outbreak to have peaked. However, we continue to monitor the situation carefully and advise anyone with any concerns to contact the special NHS 24 helpline on 08000 85 85 31.”

Five people are taking legal action over the outbreak.

The five, who are all understood to have contracted the disease, are seeking answers over what went wrong and have insructed law firm Irwin Mitchell.

Irwin Mitchell said they are receiving ongoing inquiries about the outbreak. Their clients include Terry Holleran, 55, who said he has instructed specialist illness lawyers at the firm to help him find out how the outbreak occurred and what can be done to prevent it from recurring.