ALL four people to have contracted potentially deadly Legionnaires' disease in Grimsby had spent time in the Freeman Street area prior to falling ill.
Dr Simon Padfield, Consultant in Communicable Disease Control with Public Health England in Humberside, revealed the connection today.
He said: "No further cases have been reported and no source of the infection has been confirmed to date.
"However, our investigations have shown that all four cases had been in the area around Freeman Street in Grimsby in the period before they became ill.
"Therefore we are working closely with colleagues at North East Lincolnshire Council, the Health and Safety Executive and the NHS in North East Lincolnshire to focus our investigations on this area."
As reported, all four cases have been confirmed since 27 July and are all currently responding to treatment.
GPs across North East Lincolnshire have been urged to be vigilant for patients with symptoms of the disease.
However, no further cases have been reported to date.
Cooling towers can often be associated with the spread of legionella bacteria and, although no particular cooling tower has been identified as a potential source of infection at this time, the operators of major cooling towers in the area have introduced additional disinfection measures to ensure any bacteria would be removed.
Early symptoms of Legionnaires' disease are 'flu-like' and include muscle aches, tiredness, headaches, dry cough and fever.
Sufferers may also have diarrhoea and become confused.
The disease causes a severe pneumonia and as the pneumonia progresses, shortness of breath and chest pain develops.
The disease can be treated with antibiotics and most cases make a full recovery, although it can prove fatal.
Dr Padfield added: "Legionnaires' disease does not spread from person to person and the wider risk to public health is currently low.
"There is no need for anyone who is well or only mildly unwell with symptoms of respiratory illness to see their GP.
"People should continue to use health services and seek medical attention if respiratory symptoms worsen, as they would normally."
