How hot tubs can harbour Legionnaires' bacteria

Hot tubs are known to be effective mechanisms for spreading legionella infection, an official at the Health Protection Agency said this week.

That statement followed the death of one person from Legionnaires' disease and 18 further cases in Stoke-on-Trent since 24 July.

A hot tub displayed in a store in the town is thought to be the "probable" source after samples from it were found to match those taken from the patients.

Hot tubs or spa pools are popular in gyms, hotels and increasingly in people's back gardens - but experts say they can be a health risk if they are not looked after.

The water in hot tubs is kept at between 30 and 35 degrees, close to body temperature, which is the ideal environment for legionella bacteria to grow.

The bubbling and frothing of the aerosols in a hot tub can then throw the bacteria into the air for several yards around the tub.

So you don't have to be sitting in the hot tub to inhale the bacteria.

Read more - http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-19097187