Potentially deadly outbreaks of legionnaires’ disease are expected after lockdown, experts have claimed.
The widespread closure of public buildings and workplaces has created ideal conditions for waterborne bacteria, such as Legionella, which attacks the lungs, to thrive.
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has warned that there is a risk of a public health hazard once these sites return to use.
Legionnaires’ disease is contracted by breathing in small droplets of contaminated water.
Hugh Pennington, emeritus professor of bacteriology at the University of Aberdeen, said that hotel-room showers, factories and hot tubs in public use were all potential sources of outbreaks.
“Factories and businesses have been closed for a couple of months now,” he said. “When people go back and everything is switched on,
