Legionnaires’ disease outbreak over say medics as last patients recover

The Health Protection Agency said 21 other people were taken ill during the outbreak in Stoke-on-Trent, thought to have been caused by a hot tub on display at a warehouse in the Fenton area of the city.

One of two patients who remained in hospital yesterday is due to be discharged and the other has been transferred from critical care to a ward, an agency spokesman said.

“It is now 25 days since the probable source was decommissioned and health experts no longer expect to see cases associated with this outbreak,” the spokesman added yesterday.

“Officers from Stoke-on-Trent City Council will be continuing their investigation with a view to possible enforcement action and also to provide the coroner with any information he may require for his inquest.”

The declared end of the outbreak came a day after about 40 people who caught Legionnaires’ disease earlier this year called for a public inquiry into the outbreaks in both Stoke and Edinburgh.

More than 100 people caught the lung disease during the outbreak in Scotland, which killed three people.

Law firm Irwin Mitchell, representing people affected in both cities, said recommendations set out to prevent such outbreaks occurring “failed” and called for a public inquiry.

Tracing the Stoke infection also involved the local council and Health and Safety Executive.