Outbreak of legionnaires’ disease associated with visits to Belgium - update

A sixth case of legionnaires’ disease reported in a 64 year old British man, has been associated with a cluster of cases of legionnaires’ disease linked to a Belgian hotel (1). The man stayed at the hotel in Belgium for one night in the ten days before onset of illness. The six cases include three men, one of whom has died, and three women, aged between 63 and 84 years. They became ill between 7 and 28 September 2002. All six cases have been confirmed as L. pneumophila serogroup 1; one by culture of the organism and five by urinary antigen detection. The sixth case was travelling with the same coach tour as one of the previously reported cases. Public health authorities in Great Britain are investigating three further possible cases.