 The infection is caused by breathing in legionella bacteria |
Health authorities are investigating whether a Tayside leisure resort could be a source of a Legionnaires' disease outbreak, following the death of a man. The 60-year-old died in Norfolk on Friday, but had previously visited Piperdam near Dundee. The resort has cancelled all new arrivals for two weeks as a precaution. A spokeswoman said it was not yet clear where the victim contracted the illness and those he was with at the facility had not been affected. She added that the man had not used the swimming pool or spa during his stay and they were open for business. People become infected when they breathe in air containing legionella bacteria, which have been dispersed into the air in very fine droplets of water. Legionnaires' disease is not passed from person to person. Symptoms include muscle aches, tiredness, headaches, dry cough and fever, leading on to pneumonia. Sometimes the victim suffers diarrhoea and the patient may become confused. The incubation period ranges from two to 14 days. In rare cases, some people may develop symptoms as late as three weeks after exposure. Speaking about the decision to close to new arrivals, Piperdam owner Phil Mulholland said: "Although we can't even be sure where the illness was contracted we wanted to play completely safe and always put the welfare of our customers before all other considerations. "We realise this may cause some inconvenience but we hope that those affected will understand and respect why we have taken this course of action."
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We wanted to play completely safe and always put the welfare of our customers before all other considerations
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