The third casualty is a man who had been undergoing chemotherapy at a local hospital, sanitary authorities said on Wednesday.
There are now three deaths and a total of 71 confirmed cases of Legionella pneumophila, or Legionnaires' disease, in the city close to the Ukrainian border, Polish state news agency PAP reported.
Earlier in the day, officials confirmed the death of a patient infected with the bacteria at an allergology ward in the same Rzeszów hospital.
The city’s sanitary authorities have launched an investigation into the causes of the infections, as well as measures to prevent the outbreak of an epidemic, the PAP news agency reported.
Officials took water samples from public drinking-water sources and from the homes of people infected with the bacteria, among other steps.
The first results are expected on Monday, reporters were told.
As a precaution, over the coming weekend of August 26-27, Rzeszów’s water management system will undergo pest control, officials also announced.
Legionella pneumophila
According to the World Health Organisation, “the most common form of transmission of Legionella pneumophila is inhalation of contaminated aerosols produced in conjunction with water sprays, jets or mists of contaminated water sources.”
Moreover, "infection can also occur by aspiration of contaminated water or ice, particularly in susceptible hospital patients,” the WHO added.
The bacteria is not transmitted from person to person, virologist Włodzimierz Gut told the PAP news agency.
(pm/gs)
Source: PAP, zdrowie.wprost.pl, WHO
