Legionnaires disease - UK Cases

In the UK, the incidence of Legionnaires' disease has increased in recent years. Legionnaires' disease is a Notifiable disease, which means that healthcare providers are required to report any cases of disease to Public Health England. According to the latest figures from Public Health England, there were 510 confirmed cases of Legionnaires' disease in the UK in 2019. This is an increase from 403 cases in 2018.

In the UK, 65% of cases in 2019 are travel-associated. However, there has also been an increase in domestically acquired cases with the disease with 159 cases reported in 2019. In addition to the reported cases of Legionnaires' disease, there are various regional statistics available for the UK. The rate of Legionnaires' disease in the UK has increased in recent years with the incidence rate of 0.84 cases per 100,000 population in 2019, up from 0.62 cases per 100,000 in population in 2018.

In the UK, Legionella outbreaks are rare but can occur in areas with a high risk of Legionella. There were 16 Legionella outbreaks reported in the UK in 2019. In the UK, it is still a legal requirement for all employers to carry out Legionella risk assessment for their water systems. According to a survey carried out by the Health and Safety Executive in 2019, 35% of Legionella risk assessments carried out in the UK were not satisfactory.

And finally, the UK has a range of guidance documents and regulations in place to manage the risk of Legionella in water systems. However, there is evidence that these control measures are not always implemented correctly. According to a survey carried out by the HSE in 2019, 14% of the cooling towers inspected, were not being operated correctly.