Overview
- UKHSA is investigating an unexpected rise in Legionnaires’ disease cases linked to parts of north‑west and south‑west London.
- Specialists are interviewing patients and families to retrace movements and are cross‑referencing locations to identify possible exposure sites.
- No common environmental source has been confirmed so far, according to UKHSA consultant Dr Janice Lo.
- Managers of cooling towers and large building water systems in the affected areas have been instructed to carry out high‑dose chlorination as a precaution.
- People with flu‑like or pneumonia symptoms are advised to contact NHS 111 or their GP; the illness is typically treated with antibiotics and about 300 cases are recorded annually in England and Wales.