The local outbreak of Legionnaires’ Disease, declared by the Middlesex-London Health Unit in July, has now ended. Between May 1 and September 26, 2024, a total of 30 confirmed cases of legionella met the criteria for inclusion in the outbreak. Those affected ranged in age from 37 to 87, with over half (20) being male. All 30 individuals were hospitalized at some point; nine required admission to the Intensive Care Unit, and unfortunately, two have passed away. One case remains hospitalized.
The most recent case reported symptom onset on September 14, and with 24 days having passed since then without any new cases, the outbreak is now considered over.
Despite collecting environmental samples from 18 cooling tower sites near the geographic center of the cases, none have yet detected legionella bacteria matching that found in the patients. However, the latest round of tests is still being processed by the Public Health Ontario lab, and it remains possible that a source could be identified. If a source is confirmed, the community will be notified and informed that it has been sanitized.
Written by: C. Soares