Five Legionnaires cases confirmed

Five cases of Legionnaires’ disease have been confirmed in Kent, the Health Protection Agency (HPA) has said.

The HPA was already investigating three cases, two of which had links with the William Harvey Hospital in Ashford, and two more were reported on Wednesday.

Kevin Carroll, 50, died after being admitted to the Kent and Canterbury Hospital with the Legionella infection.

The HPA said it was trying to identify the source of each case and there was no evidence that they were linked.

One of the two people most recently confirmed to be infected with the condition was an inpatient at the William Harvey Hospital. The other person had no link to any hospital.

Two of the people currently being treated at the William Harvey Hospital in Ashford are said to be in a serious condition.

Dr Mathi Chandrakumar, director of the Health Protection Unit, said: “We are working closely with our partners in the NHS to try and identify the source of these infections.

“This will include investigating all places each person visited in the two weeks before they fell ill.

“At present there is no evidence that the cases are linked.”

East Kent Hospitals University NHS Trust said showers, baths and water births had been suspended at the William Harvey Hospital and engineers had flushed the water system through as a further precaution.

Mr Carroll, from Dover, who died after being infected with the Legionnaires’ was described as being a keen scooter enthusiast and a “great guy”.

Members of the Dover Saints Scooter Club said his family were keen for him to have “scooter send-off”.

The bacterium Legionella pneumophilia causes the disease, which is normally transmitted through inhaling water vapour containing the bacteria.