Strategies to Combat Legionnaires’ Disease – Outbreak Investigation and Preventive Policy

NCCEH Environmental Health Seminar - February 20, 2020

Presentation 1: Investigating an Outbreak of Legionnaires’ Disease from Cooling Towers in Surrey, BC

In August 2018, Fraser Health detected an outbreak of Legionnaires’ Disease in Surrey, BC. We employed traditional and novel strategies for identifying and stopping the source, and ultimately, were able to implicate a specific cooling tower as a source of the outbreak. This presentation describes the story of our investigation, the tools and strategies we employed, and key challenges and considerations we faced.

Presentation 2: Driving Down Legionella Risk in the City of Vancouver

This year, Vancouver is implementing mandatory operating permits for cooling towers, decorative water features and other building water systems to assist health authorities with Legionella investigations. Additionally, the City is finalising preventive policies for these mechanical systems — including mandatory Legionella testing and reporting, and a new operator certification — and policies for special events. This presentation will summarise the regulations in place and the proposals for January 1, 2021.

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this presentation are those of the presenter(s), and do not necessarily reflect those of the NCCEH or the Public Health Agency of Canada.

About the National Collaborating Centre for Environmental Health

Signup for our newsletter
Stay up to date on current environmental health issues.

Check us out on social media

Playlists