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Contaminated water dispenser linked to legionnaires’ case in Hong Kong
Hong Kong health authorities said samples from cooled boiled water dispensers at a Happy Valley private hospital tested positive for Legionella pneumophila above safety thresholds, and the hospital halted use of the devices.
The Centre for Health Protection in Hong Kong said an 89-year-old patient at the Hong Kong Sanatorium and Hospital is highly likely to have contracted legionnaires’ disease after drinking cooled boiled water from a contaminated dispenser, according to SCMP Economy.
The agency confirmed that samples from the hospital devices dispensing cooled boiled water tested positive for Legionella pneumophila at levels far above the safety threshold for high risk areas of hospitals, and genetic testing matched the strain found in the patient’s respiratory specimen.
The hospital has stopped using the affected dispensers. It placed 137 patients who stayed on the same floor as the infected man under medical surveillance, and none has developed the disease so far.
Legionnaires’ disease is a severe, potentially life threatening form of pneumonia caused by breathing in Legionella bacteria. The patient was hospitalized since April 1 for underlying illnesses, and his condition improved after antibiotic treatment.