Contact
Hrólfur Sigurðsson
Project Manager
hrolfur@matis.is
Since 2011, Matís' microbiology department has taken regular Legionella samples for several hotels in Reykjavík. This sampling is to ensure the safety of hotel guests, but in recent decades there have been cluster infections in hotels around the world.
The Legionella bacteria can cause two types of disease. Pontiac fever and Legionnaires' disease. Pontiac fever is a milder symptom of Legionella infection and is accompanied by flu-like symptoms, such as bone pain, fever, chills, and headache. Hepatitis causes an infection in the lungs and the symptoms are cough, shortness of breath, high fever, muscle pain and headache. Nausea, vomiting and diarrhea may also occur. The death rate for soldier sickness is 5-10% according to World Health Organization. Between 2020 and 2023, two to ten people a year fell ill from Legionella in Iceland.
Since the establishment of Matís ohf in 2007, we have tested more than 1100 samples for Legionella. This is both regular monitoring and also samples where Legionella is suspected to be present. In total, we have found Legionella in 69 samples from nine different sources. It has been found in hotels, nursing homes, senior housing, apartment buildings, cooling towers and cargo ships.
When is Legionella looked for in samples? Many companies such as hotels take samples for Legionella to ensure the safety of guests and as a precaution, as the reputational damage caused by a Legionella group infection in a hotel can be so great that the hotel is forced to stop operations after a Legionella group infection. There are many examples of this abroad, although it has not happened in this country.
In the new drinking water directive from the European Union from 2020, the risk analysis of housing is discussed. There are requirements for building owners to ensure that there is nothing harmful to health in the building such as Legionella in the plumbing system. There must not be more than 1000 Legionella bacteria in one liter of water.
The National Food Agency, the National Health Service and the Environment Agency have published good ones instructions for the public. There is information and guidance on how to reduce the risk of Legionella infection.