A man who was in his 50s has died following Legionnaires’ disease and he also had underlying health conditions. Apart from this, two women along with 13 men are getting treatment at the intensive care following the outbreak.

One man has allowed to go home after being treated. Health experts are also investigating about 15 cases that are suspected and this includes five women and 10 men.

South-west Edinburgh has reported a majority of the confirmed cases.

Dr Duncan McCormick, consultant in public health medicine at NHS Lothian, said, “I would like to reassure the public that household water supplies are safe and that Legionnaires’ disease cannot be contracted by drinking water.”

Industrial water cooling towers are the main sources of the bug and following this, samples have been taken by health experts from these towers.

Bacteriology expert Prof Hugh Pennington said that before people breathe in infected water, it can be emitted in fine droplets before being breathed in by people living nearby.

The symptoms of Legionnaires’ disease are a cough that is persistent, headaches, pain in muscle, fever and diarrhea and vomiting at times.