{"id":222738,"date":"2018-11-14T23:15:49","date_gmt":"2018-11-14T13:15:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/?p=222738"},"modified":"2020-12-02T14:58:21","modified_gmt":"2020-12-02T04:58:21","slug":"old-pipes-blamed-for-legionella","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/2018\/11\/14\/old-pipes-blamed-for-legionella\/","title":{"rendered":"Old Pipes Blamed For Legionella"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>
Lady Bjelke-Petersen Community Hospital in Kingaroy … target of recent media reports<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"\"<\/a>
South Bank Day Hospital CEO
Prof Mark Radford<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

November 14, 2018<\/strong><\/p>\n

Old pipes – and the quality of Kingaroy’s water supply – have been blamed for recent positive tests for legionella bacteria at the Lady Bjelke-Petersen Community Hospital in Kingaroy.<\/p>\n

Since February 2017, quarterly testing of water samples has been conducted in all Queensland hospitals for the bacteria,\u00a0which in some circumstances can prove deadly.<\/p>\n

The\u00a0Lady Bjelke-Petersen Community Hospital was\u00a0singled out in media reports on Wednesday after legionella was detected in all 22 water samples taken at the facility during the second quarter of this year.<\/p>\n

During the first half of 2018,\u00a0 35 of the 40 samples tested at the hospital tested positive to the bacteria.<\/p>\n

Legionella was also detected during the same period in samples from Cherbourg, Murgon, Wondai and Kingaroy public hospitals (see table, below).<\/strong><\/p>\n

Only Nanango Hospital recorded no detections in the samples taken.<\/p>\n

Lady Bjelke-Petersen Community Hospital CEO Prof Mark Radford told southburnett.com.au<\/strong> the hospital operators took the issue of legionella “very, very seriously”.<\/p>\n

“The health of our patients and staff is the top priority,” he said.<\/p>\n

Prof Radford said legionella was a common problem in all Queensland – in fact, all Australian – hospitals.<\/p>\n

He said the issue with the Lady Bjelke-Petersen Hospital was linked to the very old water pipes in the building and the quality of the Kingaroy water supply.<\/strong><\/p>\n

“Dead ends” in the old pipes were allowing small ponds of water to stagnate.<\/p>\n

To overcome this, the water was being regularly tested and the pipes flushed to clear them out.<\/p>\n

Prof Radford said the hospital had a water management plan in place once any positive findings occurred.<\/p>\n

If water from a tap tested positive to legionella, it was immediately isolated and appropriate action taken; ie. the connecting pipe flushed.<\/p>\n

Prof Radford said he had been working with the South Burnett Regional Council (the owners of the hospital building) to look into the water pipes.<\/p>\n

The operators of the hospital were also liaising with Queensland Health to ensure all timely measures were being taken to protect patient and staff health.<\/p>\n

South Burnett Council CEO Mark Pitt said the results were being taken very seriously, and testing of the water was happening very regularly – possibly more often than required by law.<\/strong><\/p>\n

“All parties are working co-operatively to manage the issue,” he said.<\/p>\n

He said a lot of the “dead end” pipes in parts of the building which were not being used had been isolated.<\/p>\n

As well, filters were being installed on taps as an interim measure.<\/p>\n

“We’re probably being over-cautious, but in reality you can’t be too cautious,” he said.<\/p>\n

“Public safety is absolutely the paramount issue.”<\/p>\n

Mr Pitt said Council has been having meetings with the hospital operators to discuss “what needs to be done going forward”.<\/p>\n

* * *<\/strong><\/h2>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

* * *<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Opposition Leader and Member for Nanango Deb Frecklington said it was “frightening” that 170 hospitals and health centres across Queensland had found traces of legionella in water samples.<\/strong><\/p>\n

“One of my local hospitals is in that list,” she said.<\/p>\n

“A hospital is a place that we should go to get better, not to get sick.<\/p>\n

“I’m definitely calling on the Health Minister and the Premier to reassure Queenslanders that they’ve got this under control.”<\/p>\n

She said the Health Minister’s response on Wednesday morning was “very lacking”.<\/p>\n

* * *<\/strong><\/h2>\n

UPDATE November 15:<\/strong><\/p>\n

South Burnett mayor Keith Campbell said the health and safety of patients and staff at the hospital were Council’s top priorities.<\/strong><\/p>\n

“Council and the hospital are working collaboratively to action and resolve this situation,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cOld pipes in disused parts of the building have been identified as locations that may promote Legionella colonisation and growth.<\/p>\n

“These disused pipes have been isolated and filters have been installed on all in-use taps, for example.<\/p>\n

“Hot flushing of pipework in undertaken on a weekly basis.\u201d<\/p>\n

Council will continue to meet with the hospital operator to discuss and implement further actions to resolve legionella bacteria risks.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
FLASHBACK: Prof Mark Radford, David Littleproud and Wayne Kratzmann officially re-open the Lady Bjelke-Petersen Community Hospital in August 2016<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

[UPDATED]<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Old pipes – and the quality of Kingaroy’s water supply – have been blamed for recent positive tests for legionella bacteria at the Lady Bjelke-Petersen Community Hospital in Kingaroy.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":20,"featured_media":222746,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[22,16,172,3],"tags":[1131],"yoast_head":"\nOld Pipes Blamed For Legionella - southburnett.com.au<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Old pipes - and the quality of Kingaroy's water supply - have been blamed for recent positive tests for legionella bacteria at the Lady Bjelke-Petersen Community Hospital in Kingaroy.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/2018\/11\/14\/old-pipes-blamed-for-legionella\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Old Pipes Blamed For Legionella - 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