Fifth Legionnaires case in Syd outbreak

A man in his 80s has been diagnosed with Legionnaires disease, taking the number of people affected by an inner west outbreak to five.

A fifth person has been diagnosed with Legionnaires' disease amid a fatal outbreak in Sydney's inner west.

The latest case comes after Labor made calls for NSW Health to assume responsibility for air cooling system inspections, instead of local councils.

An elderly man died at Concord Hospital earlier in the month as a result of an outbreak in Burwood, one of numerous cases to occur in Sydney this year.

NSW Health says the new patient, a man in his 80s, is in a stable condition in hospital after first feeling unwell on May 12.

"Environment health officers have completed taking samples of potential water sources in the Burwood LGA," Acting Chief Health Officer Dr Jeremy McAnulty said.

"Final results will be available at the end of this week."

None of the water tests returned so far have been positive for the disease.

The newly diagnosed man visited a number of places during his exposure period but not the Burwood shopping centre or Sydney CBD, Mr McAnulty said.

Opposition health spokesman Walt Secord has called for a central registry of cooling towers to be set up to help authorities quickly identify the source of an outbreak.

"Air condition cooling towers can be a breeding ground for legionella and this is too important to be left to local government," he said on Sunday.

The measures are part of an opposition five-point plan, which also includes increasing the number of inspections and strengthening system check-up rules.

It also calls on the government to issue timely and prompt warnings about outbreaks, after Health Minister Jillian Skinner said she knew about the second fatal outbreak a "few days" before the public was told.

"The community has a right to know and they have a right to know the locations especially, if they feel that they are showing symptoms," Mr Secord said.

Dr McAnulty says a Legionella panel of experts is reviewing the recent outbreaks and considering whether strengthened measures were needed.

Public health units have worked with local governments to investigate cooling towers in affected areas, he said.


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Source: AAP



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