People who have recently been in Sydney’s CBD have been warned to monitor for symptoms after six individuals were hospitalised with Legionnaires’ disease.
All six infected individuals had spent time in the city centre within the past three weeks, prompting health authorities to issue a warning to hundreds of thousands of people who may have been in the area.
The symptoms of Legionnaires’ disease, including fever, chills, cough, and shortness of breath, can develop up to 10 days after exposure to contaminated water particles in cooling systems.
Public health physician Vicky Sheppeard highlighted that elderly individuals, those with underlying health conditions, and smokers are at higher risk.
NSW Health is currently reviewing maintenance records for cooling towers and conducting inspections to trace the source of the outbreak.
This follows similar outbreaks in Melbourne and Sydney earlier in the year, with the disease having a fatality rate of around 10 percent.
