Parisian Macau given all clear after Legionnaires scare

Parisian hotel in Macau has today been given the all-clear by the city's health bureau following an earlier investigation which revealed the presence of Legionella bacteria in water taken from the resort.

An investigation into the hotel began in April, when health bureau officials announced that they were concerned about three separate cases where individuals from nearby Hong Kong had contracted Legionnaires disease after visiting the hotel in December 2016, January 2017 and March 2017 respectively.

Legionnaire’s disease is a serious lung infection which is caused by the spread of legionella bacteria, which can occur in water tanks, cooling towers, spas and water fountains. Tests conducted by the Macau Health Bureau in April revealed the presence of “abnormal levels” of legionella bacteria in 10 out of 78 water samples collected at the casino resort.

On 21 April the Parisian suspended operation of their water fountains soon after being advised to do so by health bureau officials on health grounds.

However, tests conducted between 8 May and 1 June on water samples collected in other parts of the resort revealed evidence of “abnormal” levels of the microorganism albeit at reduced levels. A total of three water samples out of a batch of 153 taken “exceeded the action level of one colony-forming unit per millilitre (CFU/mL)”

Officials have now given the hotel the all-clear to resume operation of its indoor and outdoor water fountains, providing the resort meets the criteria set out by the bureau.

In a statement confirming their findings, Macau Health Bureau officials confirmed there approval of measures which the hotel is now taking to stop the spread of the bacteria saying: “…the hotel [Parisian Macao] has already employed water experts from Singapore to conduct a full assessment of the water supply facilities at the property, and is now adopting all measures to further improve the cleaning and disinfection of the water supply system.”