Second person dies after outbreak of legionnaires’ disease in outer suburbs of Melbourne

A harmful disease spreading through a major city’s outer suburbs has claimed the life of a second person.

A second person has died amid Victoria’s largest outbreak of legionnaires’ disease in more than two decades.

A man in his 60s reportedly became unwell with the harmful disease on July 27 before dying in hospital on Thursday.

Victorian chief health officer Clare Looker had previously confirmed a 90-year-old woman contracted the disease and died after presenting to hospital on Tuesday.

Victorian chief health officer Clare Looker confirmed a second person has died following the outbreak. Picture: NewsWire / Andrew Henshaw

There are now 77 confirmed and suspected cases of legionnaires’ disease across the state.

Dr Looker said health authorities believed the situation was stabilising.

“We’ve definitely seen a decrease in the speed with which notifications are coming in and definitely a clustering of those symptoms and onsets from those earlier dates,” she said.

“Hopefully we’re seeing the tail of things.”

While health authorities are still searching for the source of the outbreak, they have narrowed the focus of their investigation to Laverton North and Derrimut in Melbourne’s west.

The source out the outbreak is believed to be a cooling tower within one of the identified suburbs.

Authorities have already tested and treated 50 of the 100 towers in the suburbs of concern and 1000 businesses across Melbourne have been told to self-test and report to the Department of Health.

On Friday, Dr Looker confirmed it was likely the source had already been tested and disinfected.

Dr Looker previously said most of those who had contracted the illness were believed to have been exposed to the bacteria between July 5 and 20 and began showing symptoms on or after the 15th.

Nearly 80 people have contracted the disease. picture: NewsWire / Luis Enrique Ascui

Legionnaires’ disease typically presents as a chest infection, with symptoms such as a fever, chills, cough, headache and muscle aches and pains. Other less common symptoms include confusion, nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea.

Legionnaires’ disease is commonly found in natural bodies of water, including rivers, lakes, creeks and hot springs and cannot be transmitted between people.

However, it can also be found in spas, warm water systems and artificial systems that use water for cooling, heating or industrial processes such as cooling towers.

It is spread when fine droplets of water that contain legionella bacteria are inhaled.

It is not commonly spread from person-to-person or by drinking contaminated water.