15 Queensland hospitals and public health facilities return positive legionella tests Lawrence Springborg holds a press conference regarding the detection of Legionnaire's Disease at many Queensland hospitals this week. HOSPITAL inpatients have been urged not to panic after about 15 hospitals and public health facilities returned positive legionella tests over the weekend. Darling Downs Hospital and Health Service chief executive Dr Peter Bristow yesterday revealed tests conducted at 11 facilities across the Darling Downs had returned positive results. ``We had 350 samples examined across our 21 facilities," Dr Bristow said. ``The hospitals and facilities where positive results were returned include Inglewood, Cherbourg, Goondiwindi, Wondai, Dalby, Meandarra, Miles, Oakey, Chinchilla, Toowoomba and Baillie Henderson Hospital. Positive tests have also been recorded at the Gold Coast, Ipswich, Logan and QE2 hospitals. The testing was ordered by Health Minister Lawrence Springborg after it was revealed 66-year-old cancer patient John Pearson died after contracting Legionnaires Disease during a stay at the Wesley Hospital. A 46-year-old woman remains in a stable condition in intensive care after also contracting the disease. But both Mr Springborg and acting Chief Health Officer Dr Stephen Lambert said the positive tests did not pose a risk to human health with the chances of contracting the disease extremely rare. Dr Lambert said as soon as a positive result was returned, the taps and water systems were isolated and cleansed to ensure the bacteria was eradicated. The results of further tests across more than 300 hospitals and health facilities are not expected to be revealed until Friday when they will be released on a weekly basis until all testing is complete. Mr Springborg warned it could be weeks or even months before all test results were known but he expected more positive results would be found as testing continues across the state. ``This (legionella) is likely to have been evident in hospitals for decades, for generations," the Minister said. ``There was no routine testing, indeed no testing (for legionella in water systems) whatsoever of Queensland Health facilities and hospitals prior to me bringing down an edict three weeks ago. ``There will be thousands of tests and it takes a long time to properly assess those tests. ``It could take a matter of some weeks and possibly even some months. ``One tap (at the Gold Coast Hospital) returned a preliminary positive result," he said. ``Then when we tested another sample from the same test it turned up negative so we've got to watch the false positives as well. ``We have thousands of taps in our hospitals, thousands of outlets as you do in businesses. ``What we've got to do is have a system where we can identify the particular strains of legionella that are likely to present at levels which are going to cause problems. Mr Springborg said it was virtually impossible to make hospitals legionella free but ongoing testing would ensure the risk to patients remained minimal. The Wesley Hospital is expecting test results for another of its wings, the 150-bed Moorlands wing, to be returned on Tuesday todaywith the final results for the hospital due on Monday. If all those tests are negative for legionella, UnitingCare Health executive director Richard Royle said the hospital would return to full services by next week. In the meantime, he said cleansing of the hospital's water systems finished at the weekend.