N.B. Public Health says investigation into latest outbreak of legionnaires' disease still in early stages

MONCTON, N.B. -

The investigation into the recent outbreak of legionnaires' disease in Moncton is in its early stages, according to New Brunswick public health.  

Public health says six people currently have the illness. The respiratory disease can result in pneumonia and is caused by bacteria in water.

Dr. Richard Miller who has been a legionnaire outbreak expert for 40 years in Louisville, Ky., says there are four major sources for the disease.

"These are primarily water-cooling towers that are part of air conditioning systems in buildings and they put out an aerosol mist cooling of that device."

Other sources for the disease are decorative fountains, hot tubs, and it could be found in drinking water, said Miller.

The disease is a type of bacterial pneumonia that cannot be spread from person to person.

"It's like everyone says, COVID is a preventable disease if we put things in place to prevent the transmission. It's the same with legionnaires' disease," said Miller.

Though there are measures that can be put in place to minimize the risk of outbreaks, registering water-cooling towers could help prevent outbreaks from occurring if they are the source.

New Brunswick's regional medical officer of health, Dr. Yves Leger previously told CTV News that the province currently has no rules that would require regular testing or maintenance of cooling towers.

Cooling towers in Moncton are being considered as the potential cause of the outbreak, though the exact source of the outbreak is not known.

Public health declined CTV's request for an interview with Leger on Wednesday.

Austin Henderson, a communications manager from the city of Moncton released a statement on the recent outbreak,

"It is of our opinion that existing cooling towers should be tracked through a provincially regulated, standardized registry, to ensure consistency, given the issues currently arising from them are public health and air quality matters."

In 2019, a previous legionnaires' disease outbreak in Moncton was linked to a cooling tower and a class action lawsuit has just filed their statements of claim.

Lyndsay Jardine is with Wagner's Law Firm and is representing clients involved in the class action.

"The potential harm can be great," said Jardine. "So, in our view it would make sense to have some type of accountability process, whether that be a way of registry or some type of legislative standards."