A 72-year-old man has been confirmed as the latest person to contract Legionnaires' disease connected to the outbreak in Hereford.

Health officials believe the man may have contracted the disease during two visits to Hereford - where two people have already died from the illness.

He is said to be stable and is being treated in a Welsh hospital - the location has not been disclosed.

A further three victims are also being treated in Hereford County Hospital for the disease - two are described as serious but stable and one is recovering well.

Professor Rod Griffiths, director of public health for the West Midlands, said the two people to die so far were a man and a woman in their 70s from Hereford.

'Visited Hereford'

He told BBC News Online: "We have spoken to the (72-year-old) man's wife and ascertained that he had visited Hereford twice within the relevant time window."

There is nothing to say we are not going to get any more cases over the next few days Dr Mike Deakin, Hereford's director of public health

He said health officials were trying to trace the man's movements and hoping that because he was only briefly in the city it might help to pinpoint the search for the outbreak's source.

He said: "This could prove a very useful lead in the search for the source."

Meanwhile environmental health officials are checking air conditioning systems and water coolers for the legionella bacteria which is spread in water droplets.

Family in shock

The search is likely to continue for the next few days, but the Health Protection Agency (HPA) said it was possible it would never be found.

John Rendle, whose cousin is one of the victims who is on a ventilator after she was admitted to Hereford County Hospital a week ago, said: "There is shock, but there's also amazement. She doesn't go out anywhere except maybe by taxi to a supermarket because she's very disabled."

Doctors across the region have been alerted to the symptoms of the disease - which include a flu-like illness with muscle aches, tiredness, headache, dry cough and fever.

Telephone hotline

Samples have been taken from the confirmed cases to see whether patients have caught the disease from the same source. Results are expected soon.

Dr Mike Deakin, Herefordshire's director of public health added further cases of the disease linked to the outbreak could not be ruled out.

"There is nothing to say we are not going to get any more cases over the next few days.

"The incubation period is normally between two and 10 days but can be up to three weeks."

A hotline has been set up by NHS Direct for concerned members of the public on 01785 231011.