Three British pensioners die in Calpe Legionnaires' Disease outbreak

Health officials confirmed three British pensioners have died after contracting Legionnaires' Disease while on holiday in Spain,
The OAPs aged 73, 76 and 78-year-old all fell ill after staying in the same four-star beach hotel in Costa Blanca. A further 11 people - seven British holidaymakers and four Spaniards - have also been hit by the disease.
The Diamante Beach Hotel in Calpe which is at the centre of the outbreak has been temporarily closed.
A regional health authority spokesman said: 'The results of our investigation into the cases of Legionnaires' Disease in Calpe show it's an outbreak which has so far affected 14 people, ten British tourists and four Spaniards.
'Recently we've learned tests on three British people aged between 73 and 78 suffering pneumonia who died in hospital showed they had contracted Legionnaires' Disease.
'The deaths occurred on January 26 and 31 and February 2.'
The pensioners aged 73 and 78 who passed away after getting Legionnaires' died from unrelated conditions. Only the death of the 76-year-old has been attributed to the disease.
Relatives of the three victims are thought to have flown to Spain to be by their bedsides before they died. - They were all on Saga holidays.
Of the remaining 11 people who contracted Legionnaires', five of them were treated in British hospitals after returning home. Four of them have been discharged.
The Spanish regional health authority said the hotel's water systems have been thoroughly treated since the outbreak.
Initial tests failed to find any trace of the disease but a further investigation is being carried out.
Saga sent their own expert out from the UK who recommended changes to the plumbing. However, he was also unable to find the source of the disease. Saga have moved their guests to another hotel in the area.
Speaking after just one death had been attributed to the disease, Saga company spokesman Paul Green said: 'Sadly one of those who contracted Legionnaires' Disease passed away this morning.
'Our condolences go out to his family and we are doing all we can to support them in this difficult time.'
A regional health spokesman insisted last night: 'With the preventative closure of the hotel, we have the guarantee there's not going to be any new outbreak.'

Forecasters say it be the coldest for 60 years this weekend.
The spell of polar weather which is about to hit Spain is a phenomenon which happens every seven or eight years, but forecasters think this time could be the worst in 60 years.

There was a similar situation in December 2001 and in January 2005, but this time is expected to be colder than on those two last occasions.

Winds of upto 70 or 80 km/hour in the NE of the country and on the Baleares will increase the sensation of cold with the wind chill.

Angel Rivera, spokesman at the Spanish State Meteorological Agency, AEMET, said the situation ‘is not unheard of in winter’, but added that in this case, as well as the low temperatures, the wind chill would make it feel particularly cold.

It’s all caused by an anticyclone in the north of Europe, with an axis running NE-SE and which is bringing the cold air south to the Mediterranean. The NE winds are bringing air from Russia, or even Siberia at times.

The snow line in Spain will be down to 400-500m for today and tomorrow for most of the country, although we could see snow on the beaches of Cataluña and the Basque Country, and also on the Baleares. Temperatures are not expected to go higher than -5 to -10 in most of the country, and will reach -14 or -20 in mountainous areas.

The coldest parts of the country will be north of line running between La Coruña and Almería.

Curiously more snow is being forecast for Africa than in Spain. The cold air will reach the north of Africa and low temperatures will be ‘significant’ in Algeria, Tunisia and Libya, and more snow is expected there than in Spain.

Temperatures will improve from Sunday, starting in the west of the mainland but on the Baleares there will be little improvement until Tuesday.

 

 

 

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