SYDNEY, April 13 (Xinhua) -- Australian health authorities believe that an outbreak of the legionnaires' disease in Melbourne could be linked to cooling towers in the Central Business District (CBD).
Five people, three men and two women, aged between 51 and 71, were admitted to hospital after contracting the atypical pneumonia in Melbourne with one requiring life support in an intensive care unit.
All the five have since been discharged and are expected to make full recoveries.
Authorities from Victoria's Health Department spent Thursday disinfecting and sampling 92 systems in buildings in the CBD's east to minimise risk of further infection while they identify the source.
Finn Romanes, Victoria's Deputy Chief Health Officer, said the investigation into cooling towers began after conducting interviews with the five patients on Wednesday.
All five victims reported being in the eastern end of the CBD in the days before they fell sick with all starting to feel symptoms in late March or early April.
"It's safe and appropriate to come to the central business district for work and leisure," Romanes told Fairfax Media on Thursday.
"We are taking this as a precaution to minimize any risk that might be present."
"My message to people who have visited the CBD between late March and earlier this month and who may be suffering from pneumonia or flu-like symptoms is to visit their General Practitioner (GP) who will assess the need for testing for legionnaires' disease."
Legionnaires' disease is contracted by breathing in droplets of water which contain the bacteria that then settles in the lungs.
Ian Prewess, a plumber and gas fitter, said he warned authorities about the heightened risk of legionella bacteria in late 2015 but was dismissed.
Romanes said Victoria had one of the leading systems for combating legionella in water systems in the world.
"We've got one of the toughest regimes in the world, recently picked up by New York," Romanes said.
"We have a maintenance system and we have an inspectorate and audits and compliance checks."
