Sept 11 measures 'helped fight Legionnaires' disease'
Britain's biggest outbreak of Legionnaires' disease could have been much worse without new anti-terrorism measures brought in following the massacres in the United States in September 2001.
Seven people died and about 150 were infected with the disease when a poorly-maintained air conditioning system became infected with the bug in the Cumbrian town of Barrow-in-Furness.
But the death toll could have been far higher without new measures to deal with public health disasters such as chemical or biological attacks.
A major report due to be published in January will shed light on how Barrow-in-Furness avoided what might have been a far worse disaster which could have killed more than 20 people.
Among factors thought to have been crucial was a range of public health measures adopted after the terrorist attacks in New York and Washington.
A government white paper published in late 2001 recommended setting up a new Public Health Protection Agency, due to come into being next April.
But some local authorities pre-empted the proposals by creating specialised health protection units with teams of experts ready for emergencies such as nuclear, biological or chemical attacks.
Previous Legionnaires’ disease outbreaks have seen up to 15% of cases prove fatal. But in Barrow in August, the bug claimed the lives of only around 5% of those infected.
One reason for this was the ability to set up a team to work on the outbreak “at the touch of a button” by which patients received fast, high quality care.
There were five “clear cut” deaths from the disease and police are investigating two others as part of their inquiry into the outbreak.
There were then others who needed medical attention for other illnesses but could not be treated because the town’s Furness General Hospital was “overloaded“, said Dr Nick Gent, who led the outbreak control team.
“But having said that, if we had not had the resources and everything else, it could have been a lot worse.”
Director of public health for Morecambe Bay Dr Frank Atherton said: “It is true that in previous outbreaks around the world, the mortality rates have been significantly higher that the rate we had in Barrow.
“This was the first major test in the UK of the new public health arrangements brought in in the summer. The feeling was that it was very helpful. It meant we were able very quickly to call on the body of scientific support we needed.”
Among the other lessons, antibiotics used to fight the outbreak were successful, as was a new and faster test for the bug. Speedy pre-emptive intensive care treatments for patients were another plus.
