The health authorities in Sevilla are investigating an outbreak of Legionaires’ disease at the weekend which caused the deaths of two people and has affected eleven others.
Nine men and two women are currently in the Hospital Universitario Virgen in Macarena after contracting the virus, usually associated with air-conditioning systems. Three of the eleven are in the ICU, two in a stable condition but the third is considered to be ‘critical’.
The two people who died were aged 69 years and 78 years and had been suffering from other illnesses including respiratory problems.
All the victims are from the same area and the authorities have shut down two cooling towers on the houses where they live. The towers were apparently badly maintained and were found to be in poor condition.