The number of people complaining of flu-like illness after visiting the Landmark Hotel in Dundee has risen to 132.
The latest figure was made available following an incident management team meeting in the city involving representatives of NHS Tayside, Dundee City Council’s environmental health department and others involved in investigating the legionella infection linked to the hotel.
The incident team is meeting weekly but was still unable to offer any indication of when the hotel’s spa and leisure club might reopen to the public.
One person is being treated at Ninewells Hospital, the only confirmed case of legionnaires’ disease in a person who visited the hotel’s leisure club.
A spokeswoman for NHS Tayside said no others have been hospitalised.
While the numbers reporting flu-like illness have continued to rise since the leisure club was closed on March 17, most people are experiencing only mild symptoms that are manageable at home.
Although NHS Tayside does not expect to get test results for several weeks, the belief is those who have been infected by legionella bacteria may be suffering from the less serious pontiac fever rather than the potentially fatal legionnaires’ disease.
A spokeswoman for NHS Tayside said it was “very likely” a number of the respiratory infections reported at the hotel could be caused by pontiac fever however, it would take some time to establish if that was the case.
She said, “No one has yet been confirmed as having pontiac fever because it is difficult to diagnose and can require up to three separate blood tests over a period of several weeks.”
While samples have been taken from the spa and leisure facilities for testing, the spokeswoman confirmed the source of the infection has not been formally identified.
“NHS Tayside, Dundee City Council environmental health officers and the Health and Safety Executive continue to work closely with the hotel to advise of all the appropriate steps which need to be taken at the leisure club,” she added.
A spokeswoman for the hotel was unable to say when the leisure club would reopen, saying it will depend on the advice of NHS Tayside and environmental health officials. The hotel is otherwise open and functioning normally.