Vilnius declares emergency over Legionnaires’ disease outbreak

An emergency has been declared in Vilnius after Legionella bacteria were found in the water systems of several apartment buildings in the Lithuanian capital. This Legionnaires’ disease outbreak affects over 500 people.

There have been two deaths already and third incident is still under the investigation. The Emergency Commission at the Vilnius local authority stated on Friday that the situation met the criteria for an emergency.

The National Public Health Service said that samples from two apartment blocks in the Zirmunai neighborhood, at Tuskulenu 5 and Ladygos 3, had tested positive for the bacteria that cause Legionnaires’ disease and samples from an apartment block in the Lazdynai neighborhood were still being tested.

Identifying the source of an outbreak quickly is crucial in situations like this. Hydrosense rapid test is a very useful tool in outbreak response as it may help to identify problematic areas of a system following an outbreak where a positive test result can allow immediate intervention to help prevent further infection.