A third person over the age of 80 has died from Legionnaires' disease in France's Savoie department, bringing the total fatalities from a summer outbreak to three. Between 1 June and 14 August, 46 cases were recorded, with patients aged 26 to 91, and 44 hospitalised for respiratory complications. Two of the three deaths, including the most recent, have been linked to contamination of a private water network. Epidemiological and environmental investigations are concentrated in the Chambéry basin, where the majority of those affected live or have transited.
Separately, a British coroner found that the death of Rhoda Freedman, 91, was a consequence of numerous missed opportunities that allowed Legionella bacteria to persist in the water system at Wensley House Care Home in Essex. Freedman died in May 2024 after developing bronchopneumonia. The Care Quality Commission inspected the facility in December 2024 and rated it as needing improvement while marking it safe. Her daughters called her death totally preventable and urged more rigorous Legionella checks in residential facilities.