Probe after Legionnaires’ patient dies

Health and safety officials are investigating after a patient with Legionnaires' disease died at an Essex hospital.

The Health and Safety Executive are working with Essex Police after the patient's death at Basildon University Hospital.

The patient was diagnosed with Legionnaires' in the week prior to their death, the hospital said. The hospital has launched its own investigation, while the Health Protection Agency has also been informed.

A spokesman for the hospital said the coroner had ordered a post mortem examination into the cause.

The coroner has ordered that no further details on the patient, including sex or age, be released.

While Legionnaire's can be contracted by anyone, it typically affects vulnerable groups such as the sick or elderly.

The disease, a potentialy fatal form of pneumonia, is caused by the bacterium Legionella pneumophila and related bacteria that can be found naturally in environmental water sources such as rivers, lakes and reservoirs.

It can also be found in purpose-built water systems such as cooling towers, evaporative condensers and whirlpool spas.

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