ACR-News

CANADA: With the death toll in Quebec's legionnaires' disease outbreak rising to eight, after two more victims were reported yesterday (Sunday), a political row has broken out over the lack of enforcement regulations.
The Quebec government has been criticised for not implementing the findings of a report into the last deadly outbreak in the city in 1996.

Quebec Mayor Régis Labeaume said Quebec's provincial government had not introduced adequate measures to take care of the outbreak. Previous administrations were accused of failing to follow a 1996 health agency recommendation to set up a mandatory building maintenance protocol. Labeaume demanded the province force all building owners to regularly inspect air conditioning systems.

Meanwhile, Quebec's Liberals have batted the blame for the outbreak of Legionnaires' disease back at the opposition Parti Québécois. Health Minister Yves Bolduc said it was up to the Parti Québécois (the party in power in 1997) to have acted on the report which recommended the creation of a registry of cooling towers.

Although no specific source has yet been identified, 89 cooling towers in Quebec City are said to have been disinfected in this latest outbreak.

While the politicians argue, the number of cases is expected to rise. With an incubation period of up to ten days, more cases are expected to add to the 102 already identified.