TTC cooling tower is source of Toronto legionnaires’ outbreak: public health

Public health officials in Toronto say they have identified a Toronto Transit Commission cooling tower as the source of a recent outbreak of legionnaires’ disease.

Officials say they investigated an outbreak of six confirmed cases within about a one-kilometre radius of the intersection of Bathurst and Dupont streets.

They say a cooling tower at the TTC’s Hillcrest Complex was determined to be the source of the outbreak after samples collected from the tower matched a sample from a legionnaires case.

Officials also identified a possible epidemiological link between this outbreak and five legionnaires’ disease cases at Castleview Wychwood Towers, a long-term care home in the area.

They say the TTC has worked closely with them and the affected cooling equipment was shut down.

The disease is caused by legionella bacteria that exists in water sources and can also be found in hot tubs, sprinkler systems, humidifiers and decorative fountains.

People can contract the disease by breathing in small droplets of water containing the bacteria.

Officials have said legionnaires’ disease does not spread from person to person and the risk to the public remains low.