Fatal disease warning for people with hot tubs

A WARNING has been issued to people who own hot tubs following a spike in cases of a potentially fatal disease.

Over the past 12 months there has been an increase in the number of confirmed Legionnaires’ disease cases reported by Public Health Wales, with some cases associated with hot tubs and spa-pools.

The disease is a lung infection people can catch by inhaling droplets of water from things like air conditioning or hot tubs. It is usually caught in places like hotels, hospitals or offices where the bacteria has got into the water supply. It is a rare but potentially life-threatening infection where death occur in approximately 10-15% of otherwise healthy individuals.

Symptoms include a ‘flu-like’ illness with a rapid fever, muscle aches, tiredness, headache, loss of appetite, breathlessness and chest pain. Nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea may also occur.

A spokeswoman for the council said: “Ceredigion County Council is supporting those who operate hot tubs and spa-pools by sharing the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) guidance to control the health & safety risks associated with hot tubs/spa pools.

“These settings should have a risk assessment in place, where the risks have been identified and control measure put in place. These control measures will include chemical treatment of the water, cleaning and water sampling. A sampling visit may be carried out over the summer months to some commercial businesses that have a hot tub or spa-pool as part of a routine inspection to assess the premises against the current guidelines.”

Councillor Matthew Vaux, the council’s cabinet member for public protection, added: “It’s very important for business owners who have a rental property with a hot tub or spa-pool to follow the guidance provided by the Health and Safety Executive to ensure that they comply with their legal duties under health and safety legislation.”