Health alert for millions after six cases of legionnaires’ disease confirmed in major city

A major health alert has been issued for anyone who has visited a major city in the last 10 days after several cases of a potentially life-threatening disease were confirmed.

Anyone who has visited the Sydney CBD in the last 10 days has been told to stay on high alert after cases of a potentially life-threatening disease were recorded.

Over the past three weeks, six people contracted legionnaires’ disease after spending time in the Sydney CBD.

The disease, which is a severe form of pneumonia, is spread by an infection with legionella bacteria, which can sometimes be caused by contaminated cooling towers on top of large buildings.

A major health alert has been issued for anyone who has visited Sydney CBD in the last 10 days. Picture: NewsWire / Nikki Short

The disease is not spread from person to person and the six infected were not known to each other.

It is not yet known how the infection first originated, and it is possible not all cases are linked.

“People are exposed if contaminated water particles from a cooling system are in the air and then breathed in,” South Eastern Sydney Local Heath District public health unit director Vicky Sheppeard said.

Not everyone that is exposed to the bacteria will become sick. Those with weakened immune systems, have chronic lung conditions or disease, are smokers or older than 50 are more susceptible to the disease.

The bacteria is not spread from person to person. Picture: Supplied/ Janice Haney Carr/ Public Health

“Symptoms can develop up to 10 days after exposure and include fever, chills, a cough and shortness of breath and may lead to severe chest infections such as pneumonia,” Dr Sheppeard said.

Left untreated, a person may suffer respiratory failure, septic shock or acute kidney failure.

NSW Health is working closely with City of Sydney and will review the maintenance records of cooling towers across the Sydney CBD.

Building owners have been reminded to ensure their cooling towers are operated and maintained in compliance with the NSW Public Health Regulation 2022.

Originally published as Health alert for millions after six cases of legionnaires’ disease confirmed in major city