Key questions about the foot and mouth outbreak

Key questions about foot and mouth - Telegraph

Extract:

"Are the Legionnaires' and foot and mouth outbreaks linked?

Only by the fact that both centre on the Government's Institute for Animal Health (IAH) at the Pirbright complex in Surrey and both investigations involve testing water samples that can harbour the conditions, thus raising questions about the site's drainage systems. The Legionnaires' investigation began in June and the victim had already recovered by the time the first case of foot and mouth was recorded.

How damaging is the Legionnaires' outbreak to Pirbright?

Very. The Government, which licenses and inspects the research site, has been forced to fend off severe criticism about conditions there and health and safety concerns are resurfacing. The Health and Safety Executive has already pointed to drainage systems at the private Merial laboratory - which shares the Pirbright complex - as being a possible cause for the foot and mouth outbreak. Further tests are ongoing. The Health Protection Agency also took water samples from the site, the results of which are not yet known, after they found small samples of the Legionella bacteria in the IAH building."

Bizarre and very unfortunate coincidence: a Pirbright worker has contracted Legionnaires' Disease

Pirbright worker contracts legionnaires' disease - Guardian

Extract:

"A worker at the government research facility in Pirbright that is at the centre of the foot and mouth outbreak has contracted legionnaires' disease, with officials saying the lab is a possible source of contamination, Guardian Unlimited can reveal.

The Health Protection Agency confirmed there had been a reported case of legionnaires' disease "with alleged links to the Institute of Animal Health at Pirbright, in Surrey".

Environmental health inspectors took water samples from the facility today. At this stage, it is unclear whether the IAH employee contracted legionnaires' disease at the lab."

Flaws in council policy were to blame for legionnaires' disease deaths.

Legionnaires' disease deaths blamed on flaws in council policy - Guardian

Extract:

"Britain's worst outbreak of legionnaires' disease, which killed seven people and affected 180 others, could have been avoided if the local council had followed readily available safety guidelines, a report concludes today.

The report, prepared for the Health and Safety Executive, follows two public meetings to consider the outbreak of the disease in the air-conditioning system at the Forum 28 arts and leisure centre in Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria, in August 2002.

Colin Pickthall, former Labour MP for West Lancashire, who chaired the inquiry, said that "several flaws were apparent from the start". He told the BBC: "The guidelines on how to avoid legionella were readily available then, as now. They weren't used, they weren't disseminated around the council. They were put in bins or they were put in files.""


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Hospital fined £80,000 over Daryl Eyles' death from legionella

Hospital fined £80,000 over legionella death - Guardian

Extract:

"A hospital has been fined £80,000 after a man who had recovered from leukemia died after contracting legionnaires' disease just days before he was due to be discharged.

After months of chemotherapy, Daryl Eyles had been told he was in remission and could plan to leave hospital when he contracted legionnaires' disease from a hospital shower head and died.

Yesterday Bath's Royal United hospital, which later admitted liability for Mr Eyles' death after an investigation found that basic maintenance of its water system had not been carried out, was fined £80,000 for ignoring safety guidelines. Judge Richard Bromilow said at Bristol crown court that the trust had been guilty of failing to comply with a series of safety guidelines when Mr Eyles died in 2004. He described the penalty as an "awful irony" because it would have an impact on health services provided by the hospital.

Mr Eyles, 37, a security guard at Bath University, was diagnosed with leukaemia after developing an abscess in August 2003. Shortly after his final chemotherapy session in January 2004, he took a shower at the William Budd oncology unit, became ill with a fever, and died a week later. A postmortem revealed he had the legionella bug in his system."

Patient died of legionnaires' disease caught from a dirty showerhead in Bath's Royal United hospital (NHS Trust)

Hospital guilty over legionnaires' death

Extract:

"A hospital where a patient died of legionnaires' disease caught from a dirty showerhead was criticised in court yesterday for "blatantly" ignoring safety guidance.

Daryl Eyles, 37, contracted the disease hours before he was due to leave hospital following successful treatment for cancer. Bath's Royal United hospital (RUH) yesterday pleaded guilty to charges that it carried out inadequate safety checks of its water system.

Jennifer Gunning, chair of the bench that heard the case at Bath magistrates court, referred the case to Bristol crown court because she did not feel the lower court's sentencing powers were sufficient. She said: "Guidance was available for more than 10 years, but this was blatantly not followed. The RUH management was inadequate. Mr Eyles died as a result of those failings and many other vulnerable patients were put at risk. We believe this to be so serious that our sentencing powers are not sufficient.""