Public Health England Publishes Latest Legionnaires’ Disease Statistics

19th November 2014

Public Health England (PHE) has released new data showing a small decline in the number of cases of Legionnaires’ disease between 2012 and 2013.

The latest data released shows that in 2013, 284 cases of Legionnaires’ disease were reported – of which 83% were in individuals over 50 years of age. Of the cases reported, the majority (67%) were considered to have been caused by exposure to the infecting organism in the community, 31% of cases associated with travel abroad and 1.8% considered to have links to a healthcare facility.

Although the number of confirmed cases has shown only a small decline from 306 in 2012 to 284 in 2013, the number of clusters/outbreaks has fallen by more than half from 20 to 7.

Although the number of Legionnaires’ disease cases has shown a decline during the period 2004-2013, a high level of mortality remains among individuals diagnosed, with no improvement shown during this period.

The incidence rate across England and Wales for the 3 year period (2011-2013) was 4.90 cases per million population (pmp), with the highest rates seen in the East Midlands, West Midlands, and Mid and West Wales.

To review the full report and data please click here.

If you have any concerns about water hygiene, the S2 Partnership’s specialist team of Water Hygiene Consultants are expert in the field of Legionella bacteria controls providing risk assessments, management systems, training and expert advice. For further information or assistance please contact us.