Legionella gardeners out of intensive care

The legionella longbeachae bug, which is rarely seen in the UK, left four people from Lothian and another from Tayside seriously ill in hospital.

When the outbreak was announced last week, two of the four Lothian gardeners remained in intensive care at the Royal Infirmary.

However, one was transferred to another area of the hospital early this week and the Evening News understands that the other has also made good progress and is now being treated in a general ward.

Health experts believe there is a single source of the bug, and investigators have been working to identify a link between the cases.

Dr Martin Donaghy, a public health consultant, said: “We’d recommend good hygiene in relation to gardening – wearing gloves, wearing a mask if dusty, particularly indoors, and washing hands after use.”