Suspected Legionnaire's Disease Case In Hartlepool

30 August 2012, 05:34 | Updated: 30 March 2016, 13:50

A man, who's thought to be from the Hartlepool area, is being treated for suspected Legionnaires' disease .

The man's being treated in a hospital - but it's not been revealed which one.

Dr Peter Acheson, from the North East Health Protection Agency, said the agency was working with environmental health officers from Hartlepool Borough Council to find the source of the infection.

He said:
"Legionnaires' disease is an uncommon form of pneumonia caused when a person breathes in air that contains legionella bacteria in droplets of water.

These bacteria live naturally in environmental water sources but if they get into water systems in buildings they can cause a risk to humans through air conditioning systems, showers and spa pools.

Legionnaires' disease does not spread from person to person and can only be contracted from the source of the contaminated water."