Legionella Outbreak - Stoke on Trent Update! Hot-Tub may be the Source

A hot tub is the “probable” source of an outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease in Staffordshire, health officials have said.

The Health Protection Agency (HPA) said investigations were taking place at JTF Warehouse in Fenton, Stoke-on-Trent, and the company was co-operating.

A statement from the firm said: “JTF is extremely concerned and the product has been withdrawn from all stores.”

The HPA said there had been 18 cases in the outbreak. One patient has died.

HSE Issues Safety Notice for Legionellosis

THE British Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has warned businesses that they “must do more” to protect workers and the public from Legionnaires’ disease.

The safety bulletin follows in the wake of a fresh outbreak in the city of Stoke-on-Trent, which yesterday claimed its first victim. A further 15 people have contracted the disease so far. It is the second outbreak to hit the UK within a matter of months, with one Edinburgh man dying after being infected in early June.

Some of the major sources of Legionnaires’ are industrial cooling towers and evaporative condensers. The warm water in the systems can provide a breeding ground for the Legionella bacteria, inhalation of which can cause a high fever and pneumonia with potentially fatal consequences.

HES Legionella expert Paul McDermott says that businesses have “a responsibility to manage the risks they create to protect workers and the wider public.”

“This is a reminder to them of what the law expects,” he adds. “Failure to comply with the law means they may face legal sanctions, including in the most serious cases prosecution through the courts.”

In its bulletin, the HSE says that some of the biggest risks of a Legionnaires’ outbreak can come from changes in maintenance schedules, intermittent use of a plant and unusual weather conditions – the bacteria multiply faster when it is warm.

Read More @: http://www.hse.gov.uk/safetybulletins/coolingtowers.htm

Stoke Legionella Outbreak - Two more Cases Confirmed

It brings the total number of people being treated at University Hospital of North Staffordshire to nine, all aged between their late 40s and mid 70s.

The Health Protection Agency (HPA) is looking into two cases that were identified earlier in the summer as it is believed they may be linked.

The HPA also said it had disinfected seven cooling towers in the area as a precaution.

The agency has been working with the Health and Safety Executive, the NHS in Stoke and the city council to try to identify and control any possible sources of the disease.

'Hospital is safe'

Prof Harsh Duggal, director of the Health Protection Unit in Staffordshire and Shropshire, said: "Early microbiology typing results back from the HPA laboratories show that samples taken from some of the patients look very similar so far and this is consistent with the cases having caught their infection from the same environmental source.

"We are taking detailed histories of the movements of the patients to see if there are similar patterns which would indicate a local source of infection.

"It is important to stress that the outbreak is not hospital related and the hospital is a safe environment for visitors

Healthcare staff in the areas where the patients live have been alerted to look out for symptoms.

Officials have said early signs include flu-like symptoms, with muscle aches, tiredness, headaches, dry cough and fever which can lead to pneumonia.

Diarrhoea and confusion may occur, as well as chest and breathing symptoms. The disease can be effectively treated with antibiotics.

Latest Legionella Outbreak! Stoke-on-Trent!

Recent updates have been issued, following a Legionella outbreak in Stoke-on-Trent, yet again, in a hospital. Is it just me, or should we be keeping those places the most checked? I mean, since they are choc-a-block with high risk peoples... perhaps it's just me.

The story broke last night, and details will be added when updates are issued on the people affected and the condition of the site itself, here are the details on the people affected:

Seven people are being treated for Legionnaires' disease; those affected are six men and a woman, aged between their late 40s and 75, health officials said.

Two men in their 70s are described as "stable" and the other patients are said to be "improving"

The Health Protection Agency (HPA) said all seven patients were being treated at the University Hospital of North Staffordshire.

Prof Harsh Duggal, director of the Health Protection Unit in Stafford, said: "While we do not currently have a direct link between the cases, the evidence points to the fact that there is a common source.

"We are taking detailed histories of the movements of the patients to see if there are similar patterns which would indicate a local source of infection.

"Legionnaires' disease is a rare but potentially life-threatening illness. It is caused by a bacteria commonly associated with water systems and cannot be passed from person to person."

The HPA added it was also investigating two cases identified in early summer as being possibly linked to the current cluster.

The agency is working with the Health and Safety Executive, the NHS in Stoke and the city council to try to identify and control any possible sources of the disease.

The seven cases are not hospital acquired, health officials said.

Healthcare staff in the areas where the patients live have been alerted to look out for symptoms.

Officials said early signs include flu-like symptoms, with muscle aches, tiredness, headaches, dry cough and fever which can lead to pneumonia.

Diarrhoea and confusion may occur, as well as chest and breathing symptoms. The disease can be effectively treated with antibiotics.

There were 239 cases of the disease in England and Wales in 2011, including 23 in the West Midlands.

Water Softener Reviews - Comparing the Best

Hello Shoppers! Like many of us, you're probably a little bit unsure which water softener to go for, so we thought we'd add some customer reviews - good and bad -  for the top 10 best softeners on the market today, for you to have a look at, before you buy. 

UK's Top 10 Water Softeners  

We've spoken to plenty of domestic clients about their experiences with the units they buy from us, and how they found the DYI installation. All our customers were asked, in this instance, to give an 'out of 5 rating' and tell us one good thing and one critique about each softener - This is what they've said:

1. Crown Softener Review - £753.94 Buy Now
• Rating 5/5
• Claire, Cheshire: "I chose this softener for a few reasons, because the salt is great value and because you don't need to plug it in - the only downside I can find is that it didn't seem to have clear controls - until I worked out that it was automatic softener!!"  
• (click here to read full Crown review from us!)
2. Crown Ultra  Softener Review - £1,095.00 Buy Now
• Rating 4/5
• Jake, Liverpool: "The good part is how much this softener produced water-wise [flow-rate]. I have a big family; 4 children, and needed a lot more than the standard softeners offer. The bad part is that it's a fair bit more [£££] compared to the others I'd looked at, but it's worth it in my case!"
3. Coral Softener Review - £348.67 Buy Now
• Rating 4/5
• Lara, Sussex: "I found it value for money, and great for my skin and hair since I'm quite sensitive to the hard water ion my area. I would definitely recommend having a plumber install it - I found quite difficult and had a plumber come and connect it in the end"
4. Swan Softener Review - £414.30 Buy Now
• Rating 5/5
• Kate, London: "Great for my home since it's a decent price and had a range of larger sizes - I got a 30 litre timer one for great money and it works fine. I like that it takes tablet salt too, it's less fussy. I did have to wait a couple of weeks for it though, since it's a 'made to order' one [softener]"
5. Home Water Softener Review - £466.44 Buy Now
• Rating 4/5
• Andrew, Devon : "It's one of the slightly more expensive ones, but it came with an installation kit included so I was happy about that - I found it easy to fit too, with a little bit of elbow grease and a youtube video - job done! Just got to make sure you shut the water off before you start chopping into anything! Nothing bad really, but they are a bit expensive"
6. Delta Softener Review - £550.20 Buy Now
• Rating 3/5
• Indigo, Birmingham: "I liked it because it has an install kit included and it's non-electric, but I found that, when I received it and went to put it in, I had to drill a hole to connect the overflow - this is apparently a feature of the unit, since the brine tank and valve[s] swivels to three different positions, so you can get it into compact spaces (another reason for buying) and you wouldn't want three different holes in the softener, but I found it quite annoying! So beware to all of those who purchase this one, you'll need a small drill!! "
7. Domestic Fleck Softener Review - £458.64 Buy Now
• Rating 5/5
• Rachel, Leicester: "I got this because we have a big duplex 'Fleck' softener at work - they're not really glamorous or anything but they're really reliable since the make is an industrial one, primarily; works well for me!"
8. Mistral Softener Review - £363.88 Buy Now
• Rating 4/5
• Gary, Hertfordshire: "I hate parting with my money, so I was looking for the very best deal I could - this seemed like the best thing I could find, so I went for it, Installed it myself, and it's been fine. Took me a while to get a hand of the 'regeneration' business, but I got round that pretty quickly"
9. Pallas Duo Mini Softener Review - £1,009.58 Buy Now
• Rating 5/5
• Anna, Bradford: "Oooh I love my softener! It's such a better looking model than the ones you usually see too, so I'm not embarrassed when people see it in my kitchen - I love the display, and the slider compartment. In general, I was looking for s duplex one, and this one really caught my eye. I didn't install it myself, since it looked quite complicated"
10. Pallas Duo Maxi Softener Review - £1,165.23 Buy Now
• Rating 5/5
• Oscar, Hampshire: "Brilliant for my house - we have a big home with en suites, so needed a good one. The top is great and easy to use. Very expensive though"

Legionellosis Training in London - Sign Up

Legionella Awarness Training
	Water Hygiene Course in London City Spectrum News Bulletin 17/07/2012

Spectrum ES Limited will be holding various Legionella Awareness Courses across London in September 2012! The first program is being arranged and spaces are being booked! - Call Spectrum to secure your no-obligation* space on the course!

We’re offering you the great rate of £70 per person, and your second delegate for only £55 for this event! We also give group bookings special rates, and we can even come to you!

Call: 0870 729 0199 to chat about your requirements!

*There are 'No-obligations' or holding fee's when expressing an interest in this course! All we ask for is your name, email and telephone number, so we can contact you about the course, and we'll give you some dates that may be good for you - We'll discuss the next steps over the phone!


Need a different Course? Get in touch about the following agendas...

- Introduction to Legionellosis, Legionnaires' Disease and Pontiac Fever- Managing the Control of Legionellosis – Your Responsibilities- Site Engineer Training – The Need For Regular Checks- Setting Up A Legionellosis Control Regime