Legionnaire’s disease at hospitals

29 March 2007

BRUSSELS – There may not be a single hospital in Flanders that does not regularly have the bacteria that causes legionnaire’s disease in its water pipes.

De Morgen reported this today on the basis of statements from specialists. They also criticised the regulations which recently became more lax.

Outbreaks of legionnaire’s disease have been ascertained at several hospitals in the past year. There is a fear that far more hospitals are actually battling with the disease but are not recording the instances out of fear for negative publicity and are instead treating the condition “blindly” on their own initiative.

The law stipulates that all water pipe, including the cold water pipes, must be brought up to high temperatures regularly so as to kill the bacteria. This is not always done at all locations carefully enough in practice however. The measure costs a great deal and the heat causes quicker wear and tear on the pipes.

[Copyright Expatica News 2007]

Subject: Belgian news