Vic: Stock exchange looks set to get all clear on legionnaires

AAP General News (Australia)
12-08-2000
Vic: Stock exchange looks set to get all clear on legionnaires

MELBOURNE, Dec 8 AAP - Melbourne's stock exchange building maintenance routine tests
found no detectable levels of legionella bacteria in its cooling tower system after a
worker was hospitalised with the disease.

Human Services Department spokesman Bram Alexander said the man, aged in his 40s, was
recovering in the Alfred Hospital and was expected to soon be discharged.

The man worked in the Australian Associated Press offices located in the Collins Street
building, but Mr Alexander said it would "be premature to link his illness with his workplace".

"Just because someone works in a particular place doesn't mean that's where they got
it," he said.

Recent tests in the past few months on the building had not shown any detectable levels
of legionella and the latest results were not expected to either, he said.

"There's a pattern there, that indicates that there has not been a problem with this
building and we would not expect that there would be a problem with this building," Mr
Alexander said.

He said the department had also tested the towers yesterday but would not know the
results of those tests for up to 10 days.

Acting building general manager Caroline Ladbury said for the past several months,
sample testing of the system had repeatedly returned a clean bill of health.

Two people died and 110 people were infected with legionnaires' disease in April, when
an outbreak was traced to the cooling towers of the newly-opened Melbourne Aquarium.

Mr Alexander said there had been eight deaths and 235 infections in Victoria as a result
of the disease this year.

AAP cmc/imc/cjh

KEYWORD: LEGIONELLA (CARRIED EARLIER)

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