Legionella sparks compost warning

A new Christchurch legionella outbreak, which has killed one gardener this month and infected three other people, has prompted warnings about potting mix and compost.

The Canterbury District Health Board said that it had recorded four cases of legionnaires' disease in the province this month. The four people had been handling potting mix or compost in the incubation period. One unnamed person had died.

The cases had no connection with the outbreak of legionnaires' disease in Christchurch earlier this year, medical officer of health Dr Alistair Humphrey said.

Christchurch was hit by a legionnaires' disease outbreak in April that infected 19 people, three fatally. The same strain of the disease was found in the cooling tower of a Hornby fertiliser plant and at the Christchurch School of Medicine.

Safety precautions included: opening compost bags slowly; keeping bags away from the face and dampening potting mix.

- NZPA