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Legion disease kills OAP, 84
Nov 23 2003
A Shropshire pensioner has become the latest Midland victim of Legionnaires Disease.
The 84 year-old Shrewsbury woman diagnosed with the killer bug was thought to be an isolated case - and was not last night being linked to the out-break in Herefordshire.
Dr Rob Carr, of the Health Protection Authority, said that investigators were testing water samples taken from the womans home to establish if it was the source of the bacteria.
The likelihood is that it occurred in the home, he said. The people of Shrewsbury are not at any increased risk.
Health officials said there was no obvious link with the recent outbreak in Hereford, which was traced to a cooling tower at Bulmers cider-making plant.
So far 24 cases of the disease have been confirmed in Hereford where one man in his 70s has died. The latest cases include seven men, aged between 40 and 70, and a woman in her 50s.
Herefordshire Councils environmental health department said test results has confirmed the type of legionella found at the HP Bulmer site at Plough Lane was consistent with samples taken from patients.
