Five cooling towers in the Sydney CBD have tested positive for legionella as health authorities warn of more infections.
NSW Health has confirmed two more cases of legionnaires' disease bringing the total number of patients linked to the current outbreak to five.
The director of the NSW Health Communicable Diseases Branch, Dr Vicky Sheppeard, confirmed today that five cooling towers in the Sydney CBD tested positive to legionella.
She said a total of 89 cooling towers have been tested by NSW Health and the City of Sydney.
"Contaminated cooling towers are a common source of legionnaires' disease outbreaks but they can often be contaminated without ever causing disease," Dr Sheppeard said.
"Further testing on these towers is being undertaken to determine whether or not one or more of these towers may be the source of the recent outbreak.
"NSW Health and the City of Sydney have ensured appropriate regulatory action on these towers is under way, including orders requiring cleaning and disinfection."
NSW Health has urged buildings owners in the CBD to ensure their cooling towers are operated and maintained according to requirements under the Public Health Act.
NSW Health has also created a legionella working group of experts to review the recent outbreaks.
The working group will determine if additional measures are required to prevent future outbreaks.