Sydney fears disease outbreak

2007-01-17 11:23

Sydney - Fears that tens of thousands of New Year revellers in Sydney could have been exposed to a potentially fatal illness were raised by health officials on Wednesday.

Four middle-aged men who welcomed in the New Year at Sydney's famed harbour fireworks display have been diagnosed with legionnaires' disease, the officials said.

The men, in their 50s and 60s, reportedly had nothing in common apart from gathering at the city's main ferry terminal, Circular Quay, on the night of December 31.

"We're contacting hospitals and other clinicians to alert them of these cases and to consider the diagnosis in other people's pneumonia, and to report to us if it's a case of legionnaires' disease," said a state health official.

"We are hopeful that the risk is very low of further cases, but we're concerned there may be further cases," said communicable diseases director Jeremy McAnulty.

Legionnaires' disease - which was discovered in 1976 in the United States and named after a group of some 30 former servicemen who died from the illness during a conference - causes headaches, fevers, chills, muscle aches and pains leading to respiratory problems and pneumonia.

It is spread by a waterborne bacteria, legionella pneumophila, which usually develops in air conditioning systems and dirty showers.

A Sydney council spokesperson said tests were being conducted at cooling towers in the Circular Quay area.

- AFP