The Health Protection Agency has published updated guidance on the control and prevention of legionnaires' disease in England, together with national surveillance reporting forms.
The guidance document outlines the protocol for the National Surveillance Scheme for Legionnaires’ disease which became a notifiable disease on 6 April 2010 in England.
The objectives of the national surveillance scheme are:
- to detect clusters or outbreaks of legionella infection in England and Wales or abroad.
- to identify sources of infection so that control measures can be applied to prevent further cases.
- to disseminate legionella surveillance information to all those who need to know.
Following the discovery of Legionella pneumophila as a new causative pathogen for outbreaks of severe respiratory disease in 1976, surveillance systems have been established in most industrialized countries including the United Kingdom.
One of the key objectives of surveillance is to identify the source of infection, so that control measures can be implemented. Outbreaks of Legionnaires’ disease are usually caused by contaminated aerosols generated by artificial water systems such as cooling towers associated with commercial and industrial air conditioning or other cooling systems, hot and cold water plumbing and spa pools.
All confirmed cases of Legionellosis must be reported to the national surveillance scheme for Legionnaires’ disease using the national surveillance form.
Further information on the scheme can be requested from the Legionella Epidemiology Section, at the Centre for Infectious Disease Surveillance and Control.
Click here to download Guidance on the control and prevention of legionnaires' disease in England
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