Legionella found in hospital water

Legionella has been found in the hot water system of a Christchurch hospital, but officials do not know how long it has been there.

Managers at Princess Margaret Hospital found the bug in September and began shock-dosing the system with chlorine to kill it.

The Canterbury District Health Board said the strain was unrelated to that which caused a deadly outbreak earlier this year, and is confident no patients have been affected.

The hospital, which mainly treats elderly patients, has not been part of the six-monthly testing regime used at Christchurch, Christchurch Women's and Burwood hospitals.