Dutch launch plan to combat legionnaires' disease

The Dutch government has launched a plan to combat legionnaires' disease, emphasising the need for greater vigilance by GPs and community health services, following one of the worst epidemics recorded.

The plans, which were developed jointly by the ministries for health and for the environment, include a computerised rapid alert system for GPs; measures to ensure that all GPs and hospital casualty departments are alerted with 24 hours of possible cases of legionnaires' disease; and stricter controls on public buildings that use warm water including hospitals, nursing homes, hotels, saunas, and …