A man died from legionnaires' disease in the Dublin area at the end of May, the South Western Area Health Board has confirmed.
An investigation at the man's home, at the Citywest Hotel where he worked and other places failed to establish how he contracted the illness. Bacteria for the rare disease develop in stagnant water. However, water from the hotel and the other locations all tested negative for the bacteria.
The man died in Tallaght General Hospital from pneumonia caused by the disease which was identified following a post-mortem. No identifying details about the man were released.
When the man's death was notified, the Eastern Regional Health Authority "carried out a thorough investigation to try to establish how the patient had contracted the disease". Dr Marie Laffoy, acting director of public health with the ERHA, said following investigations "it was concluded that this case was an isolated one and it did not pose a risk to the public".
She said person to person spread of legionnaires' disease was very unlikely. In a normal environment people are unlikely to get the disease from legionella bacteria, she added. Any risk "is increased if a person is ill, in the older age group or their immune system is compromised".
The incubation period for the disease runs from two to 10 days. The term legionnaires' disease was coined in 1976 when members of the American Legion of Pennsylvania were affected by a respiratory disease at a hotel in Philadelphia.
weblink: www.ccohs.ca/ oshanswers/diseases/ legion.html (Information on Legionnaire's Disease)