Edinburgh Legionnaires" disease outbreak: 21 cases confirmed as cooling towers suspected By NATALIE WALKER Published on Wednesday 6 June 2012 11:17 THERE are now 21 confirmed cases of Legionnaires" disease in Edinburgh, with another 19 suspected, the Health Secretary said today. The number of cases is expected to continue rising until the weekend because it can take as long as two weeks for symptoms to show. 21 confirmed cases of Legionnaires" disease confirmed, with another 19 suspected Health Secretary Nicola Sturgeon said cooling towers in south-west Edinburgh may be to blame Some of the infected attended Scottish Cup final between Hibernian and Hearts Most reported cases are male, and all range in ages from mid 30s to late 80s One man has died as a result ofoutbreak But no more fatalities have occurred since yesterday. Twelve of the 21 confirmed patients are in intensive care, while two have been discharged. The others suffering from the disease are either being treated in hospital or in the community. The number of confirmed cases rose by four from the 17 announced at a previous update this morning. There are also four more suspected cases. Health officials said the patient who died was in his 50s and had other health conditions. The majority of confirmed cases are linked geographically to the Dalry, Gorgie and Saughton areas of south-west Edinburgh "Given the incubation period for Legionnaires" disease, we would expect to see further cases emerge over the next few days," said this afternoon. What we can say is that no link has been identified between these patients other than a general association with the affected area in the south-west of Edinburgh. What that does is underline the view that the source of this infection is an outdoor community source and not an indoor-specific source, such as would be the case if it was a spa in a hotel. That points, as we have been saying, to cooling towers in the south-west of Edinburgh. Some of those infected were at last month's Scottish Cup Final between Hearts and their Edinburgh rivals Hibernian, with some also at Hearts victory celebrations. Hearts FC's Tynecastle ground is in the affected area. Ms Sturgeon said: "I don't think it's surprising, given the area we're talking about, that some of them would have been at the football." Dr Duncan McCormick, consultant in public health medicine and chairman of the incident management team at NHS Lothian, said those suffering from the disease are aged from mid 30s to late 80s with the majority at the upper end of the age range. The majority of cases are of men. The antibiotic used to treat those infected was said by medics to be "very effective," while two seriously ill patients have now been discharged from hospital, which are "encouraging signs." Legionella bacteria is commonly found in sources of water, such as rivers and lakes, NHS Lothian said. The bacteria can end up in artificial water supply systems such as air conditioning, water services and cooling towers. Symptoms are mild headaches, muscle pain, fever, persistent cough and sometimes vomiting and diarrhoea. They can begin at any time between two and 14 days after being infected. The first case in the current outbreak was identified on Thursday 31 May . About half of those who catch the disease will also experience changes to their mental state, such as confusion. Legionnaires" disease is not contagious and cannot be spread directly from person to person. Ms Sturgeon said officials expected to see more cases as the week goes on.