Thousands of homes and businesses in Cumbria are facing days without water after a mains pipe was damaged during Storm Ciara on Sunday. A major incident was declared after the damaged pipe near Kendal threatened supplies to about 8,000 properties. United Utilities said many people would continue to be without water, despite millions of litres… Read more »

Swimming pool and spa facilities have been closed at a Sandown hotel on the order of environmental health officers — after fears were raised guests could be exposed to Legionnaires’ disease. The Isle of Wight Council confirmed it had launched an investigation at the  Melville Hall Hotel and Utopia Spa in Sandown. FULL ARTICLE

Legionella and pseudomonas were found in water meant for hand washing in a unit where medicines for cancer patients were prepared, HSJ has learned. The facilities at Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells Trust’s Maidstone Hospital were found to pose a “high” risk to patient safety in an inspection by NHS’ Specialist Pharmacy Services. FULL ARTICLE

This report provides a summary of data extracted from the national Legionella database for confirmed and suspected cases of Legionellosis in residents of England and Wales, as reported to the national surveillance scheme during the month of December 2019. FULL REPORT

The UK has now left the EU. The transition period is in place while the EU and UK negotiate new arrangements for a trade deal. It will end on 31 December 2020. FULL ARTICLE

Four children have been taken ill after using the same hot tub at a Devon holiday park. The two 14-year-olds and two nine-year-olds from three different families have all been diagnosed with a drug-resistant disease called ‘hot-tub folliculitis’. FULL ARTICLE

Jessica Watson has cooked with bottled water in her spacious kitchen, with its granite countertops, ever since she became afraid to drink her tap water four years ago. About 80,000 people in three townships outside Philadelphia live in an area where the groundwater has been contaminated by chemicals used for decades in firefighting foam at… Read more »

Sydneysiders who recently visited the Haymarket area are being urged to look out for symptoms of Legionnaires’ disease, after Legionella bacteria was identified in a local cooling tower. The tower, which is no longer operating, was found to be contaminated during an investigation into two Legionnaires’ cases earlier this year, according to the South Eastern… Read more »

SWIMMING pool and spa facilities have been closed at a Sandown hotel on the order of environmental health officers — after fears were raised guests could be exposed to Legionnaires’ disease. The Isle of Wight Council confirmed it had launched an investigation at the Melville Hall Hotel and Utopia Spa in Sandown. It said high levels of… Read more »

An outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease at a senior living center in suburban Chicago has left one resident dead and two others sickened, health officials said Wednesday. The Lake County Health Department said in a news release that it has confirmed three cases of the disease, a type of severe pneumonia caused by the Legionella bacteria,… Read more »