Urgent warning as disease hits major city
An urgent health warning has been issued for people in an inner Sydney suburb amid several confirmed cases of legionnaires' disease.
Three people from Potts Point, aged between their 40s and 70s and unknown to one another, have contracted the disease, NSW Health have confirmed.
NSW Health is advising anyone who visited the Potts Point area between June 8 and June 18 to be vigilant and monitor symptoms of the disease.
Legionnaires' disease is a lung infection caused by the legionella bacteria, and can trigger symptoms including a fever, chills, a cough and shortness of breath.
Without treatment, the disease can be fatal.
The disease is not spread person to person and can sometimes be caused by environmental sources such as a cooling tower atop a large building, which can become contaminated by the bacteria.
South Eastern Sydney local health district public health unit director Vicky Sheppeard said all three of those who contracted the disease have been admitted to hospital.
'People can be exposed to the bacteria if contaminated water particles from a cooling system are emitted into the air and breathed in,' Dr Sheppeard said.
'Legionnaires' disease can develop up to 10 days after exposure.
'Symptoms include fever, chills, a cough and shortness of breath and may lead to severe chest infections such as pneumonia.
'People who develop this disease are diagnosed by a urine or sputum test and chest X-ray and usually require antibiotic treatment in hospital.
'Those most at risk are elderly people, people with underlying lung or other serious health conditions, and people who smoke.'
NSW Health confirmed they were working alongside the City of Sydney and have completed samples of all cooling towers with a 500m radius of the resident's homes.
All managers of cooling water systems have been urged to disinfect their systems.
'Building owners should ensure that their cooling towers are operated and maintained in compliance with the NSW Public Health Regulation 2022,' a statement read.
The outbreak comes after a previous outbreak of Legionnaires' disease between March and April this year, which infected 12 people and left one dead.
NSW Health confirmed 11 were hospitalised during the outbreak and another was treated out of the hospital.
All of those infected had spent time in the Sydney CBD between March 13 and April 5.
In April, a man in his 50s died from the infection after contracting the disease nearly a month earlier.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Medscape
4 hours ago
- Medscape
RIPC Shows No Benefit in Noncardiac Surgery
TOPLINE: The application of remote ischemic preconditioning (RIPC), a noninvasive technique used to induce brief episodes of limb ischemia and reperfusion, did not reduce the rates of postoperative myocardial injury and other complications compared with sham RIPC among patients undergoing high- or intermediate-risk noncardiac surgery. METHODOLOGY: Researchers conducted a large, multinational randomized controlled trial (PRINCE) to assess whether RIPC reduces myocardial injury and other complications in high-risk adults undergoing noncardiac surgery. They included 1213 patients (mean age, 70 years; 60% men) undergoing intermediate- or high-risk noncardiac surgical procedures under general anesthesia across 25 hospitals in eight countries. The participants were randomly assigned to receive either RIPC or sham RIPC. The RIPC intervention consisted of three 5-minute cycles of ischemia induced by inflating a blood pressure cuff to 200 mm Hg, with each cycle followed by 5 minutes of reperfusion while the cuff was deflated. The primary outcome was the rate of postoperative myocardial injury, defined by serum cardiac troponin levels exceeding the 99th percentile of the reference limit. TAKEAWAY: The occurrence of myocardial injury did not differ significantly between patients in the RIPC group and those in the sham RIPC group (relative risk, 1.02; P = .84). The number of patients presenting with postoperative troponin values five times above the 99th percentile was not significantly different between the RIPC and sham-RIPC groups. Additionally, prespecified adverse events did not differ significantly between the groups, except for 30-day hospital readmission rates (6% vs 3.5%), and episodes of limb petechiae (1.7% vs 0.2%), which were significantly more frequent in the RIPC group than in the sham RIPC group. IN PRACTICE: 'In contrast to previous findings, the PRINCE trial provides robust evidence of the absence of beneficial effects of RIPC on biochemical and clinical outcomes in high- and intermediate-risk noncardiac surgery patients,' the authors wrote. SOURCE: The study was led by Massimiliano Greco, MD, of Humanitas University in Pieve Emanuele, Italy. It was published online on June 13, 2025, in Circulation. LIMITATIONS: The study did not protocolize anesthesia induction. Preoperative troponin levels were not measured. Additionally, as most participants were from high-income European countries, the findings may have limited generalizability to low- and middle-income settings. DISCLOSURES: This study was funded by the Italian Ministry of Health. The authors declared having no conflicts of interest. This article was created using several editorial tools, including AI, as part of the process. Human editors reviewed this content before publication.
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Yahoo
More trouble for state's forensic service
Queensland's top forensic scientist Linzi Wilson-Wilde has been immediately suspended over fears DNA tests have been contaminated. Attorney-General Deb Frecklington issued a statement late on Friday following advice she received that Forensic Science Queensland had paused testing after contamination issues were identified. 'I moved to immediately suspend, pending a show cause notice for removal, the Director of Forensic Science Queensland,' Ms Frecklington said in a statement. The organisation supports criminal and coronial investigations with forensic biology and chemistry services. Ms Frecklington said the forensic lab would pause operations for seven days, then carry out a review to determine the next steps. She said the government has been advised Forensic Science Queensland would still process urgent matters using appropriate controls. More to come.
Yahoo
6 hours ago
- Yahoo
Encompass Health Plans a 50-Bed Unit to Better Serve North Las Vegas
Encompass Health Corporation EHC recently disclosed initial plans to construct a freestanding inpatient rehabilitation hospital in North Las Vegas, NV. Equipped with 50 beds, the facility is expected to commence operations by 2028. The hospital will offer private patient rooms, a modern therapy gym equipped with advanced rehabilitation technologies and specialized spaces such as daily living suite and an in-house dialysis unit. Complementing these are additional amenities like an in-house pharmacy, a communal dining space and a therapeutic courtyard. Patients will benefit from comprehensive rehabilitative services, including round-the-clock nursing care, as well as physical, occupational and speech therapy. The care team will include highly trained physicians, therapists and nurses. This, in turn, will ensure speedy recovery of patients suffering from a range of serious health conditions and ensure their quicker return to normal daily activities. Encompass Health's latest announcement highlights its commitment to enhancing healthcare outcomes in the Las Vegas region, thereby reinforcing its presence throughout Nevada, where it operates three other facilities. These expansion efforts are driven by a sustained need for comprehensive rehabilitation services across various U.S. communities. By continually growing its nationwide network of inpatient rehabilitation hospitals, Encompass Health positions itself to serve an expanding patient population and generate increased revenues. Higher patient volumes boost revenues for any healthcare operator like EHC. In the first quarter of 2025, Encompass Health reported $1.5 billion in revenues from inpatient rehabilitation services, reflecting 10.6% year-over-year growth. Currently, the company operates 168 inpatient rehabilitation hospitals across 38 states and Puerto Rico. This expansive portfolio is the result of a proactive growth strategy that includes both independently developed facilities and also facilities built through partnerships with regional healthcare providers. These collaborations offer strategic advantages by enabling Encompass Health to gain deeper insights into the unique healthcare needs of different regions. The last addition to its hospital portfolio was that of Rehabilitation Hospital of Fort Myers, which was built in partnership with Lee Health to provide high-quality rehabilitation services across Florida. Shares of Encompass Health have gained 41.8% in the past year compared with the industry's 3.6% growth. EHC currently sports a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). Image Source: Zacks Investment Research Some other top-ranked stocks in the Medical space are Integer Holdings Corporation ITGR, Align Technology, Inc. ALGN and BioLife Solutions, Inc. BLFS, each currently sporting a Zacks Rank of 1. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank stocks here. Integer's earnings surpassed estimates in three of the last four quarters and missed the mark once, the average surprise being 2.77%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for ITGR's 2025 earnings indicates a rise of 19.4%, while the consensus mark for revenues implies an improvement of 7.7% from the respective prior-year tallies. The consensus mark for ITGR's 2025 earnings has moved 4.5% north in the past 60 bottom line of Align Technology outpaced estimates in each of the trailing four quarters, the average beat being 3.40%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for ALGN's 2025 earnings indicates a rise of 10.7%, while the consensus mark for revenues implies an improvement of 3.9% from the respective prior-year tallies. The consensus mark for ALGN's 2025 earnings has moved 4.2% north in the past 60 days. BioLife Solutions' earnings outpaced estimates in each of the trailing four quarters, the average surprise being 112.90%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for BLFS' 2025 earnings is pegged at 2 cents per share. A loss of 7 cents per share was incurred in the prior-year quarter. BLFS has witnessed one upward estimate revision for 2025 earnings against none down in the past 60 days. Shares of Integer and BioLife Solutions have gained 2.8% and 3.3%, respectively, in the past year. However, Align Technology stock has lost 25.8% in the same time frame. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Align Technology, Inc. (ALGN) : Free Stock Analysis Report BioLife Solutions, Inc. (BLFS) : Free Stock Analysis Report Integer Holdings Corporation (ITGR) : Free Stock Analysis Report Encompass Health Corporation (EHC) : Free Stock Analysis Report This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research ( Zacks Investment Research Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
