Wesley Hospital launches investigation into further case of deadly disease after death of patient last week
The Wesley Hospital in Brisbane is investigating a third case of legionnaires’ disease, after one patient died and another was put in intensive care last week.
The current case is being investigated after a patient returned a positive reading in a preliminary urine test.
“The patient is showing no symptoms of legionnaires’ disease, however we are starting treatment as a precaution,” the hospital’s medical services director, Dr Luis Prado, said in a statement.
“This preliminary test may remain positive for a year and therefore does not indicate when or where the patient contracted the disease.”
Prado said the man has been a patient at Wesley since March and was staying in a different building to the other two cases.
The original contamination was sourced to the hospital’s hot water system, which cancelled all admissions and elective surgeries while it dealt with the outbreak.
John Pearson, 66, died after contracting Legionnaires while being treated for cancer. A 46-year-old woman remains in a serious but stable condition.
Queensland Health has been notified and the hospital remains closed to admissions. All elective surgeries have also been cancelled.