A further eight people were yesterday confirmed to be suffering from Legionnaire's disease as the deadly outbreak continued to take its toll in Scotland.
It means 36 people have now been struck down by the bug which has already caused the death of one man, with a further 44 in Edinburgh waiting for test results confirming whether they are also infected with the waterborne virus.
Of the 80 confirmed and suspected cases, 15 are in intensive care and 27 are in general wards. A further 16 cases are being treated in the community and a number of people have already been discharged from hospital.
The new figures came as experts warned of a fresh wave of outbreaks. They blame cutbacks on health inspectors, coupled with recession-hit companies neglecting safety measures, for creating the ideal conditions for potentially lethal bacteria to thrive.
One leading Legionnaire's expert claimed firms were deliberately falsifying safety logs and said the practice could have devastating consequences.
Public health consultant David Harper said outbreak prevention measures had slipped to dangerous levels and were not policed as rigorously as they should be. He said: "Local environmental health officers have been cut back, which means we may see more outbreaks of Legionnaire's. When times are tight, maintenance is one of the first things to be cut. This goes right across the board at hospitals, hotels and any facility which has water systems, air-conditioning or cooling towers."
