Legionnaire's number hits 100

The total number of people suspected to have suffered with Legionnaires' disease in Edinburgh has now reached the 100 mark.

The outbreak started in May and was thought to have been contained until a person who had been feeling unwell for some time was treated for the disease this month.

It means that so far there have been 52 confirmed Legionnaires cases and 48 suspected ones. Three of those people have unfortunately passed away.

As of yesterday there were still two people battling the disease in intensive care as well as six on general wards. A further 20 are being treated in their local community by GPs and 59 have been discharged after fighting off the condition.

The ages of the people affected range from between 32 and 85.

Health Secretary Nicola Sturgeon said: "The latest case of Legionnaires' has been ill for some time, and has now been identified as a confirmed case.

"Over recent days as expected, we have not seen as many cases of Legionnaires' as we did at the peak of the outbreak, and this continues to offer reassurance that the outbreak remains under control."

Dr Richard Othieno, consultant in public health medicine for NHS Lothian, added: "While this is the first new case in more than a week, it is not unexpected.

"As the outbreak draws to a close we can expect to see a small number of cases coming forward who have experienced mild symptoms initially and have sought medical attention later in their illness."

Legionnaire's disease is a lung infection which is caught by a person breathing in droplets of contaminated water or vapour. Symptoms include a high fever and muscle pain.

Some 345 people were diagnosed with the disease in England and Wales during 2009, with a further 163 suspected to have come about when the person was travelling overseas.