Photo: Getty ImagesCantabrians heading into their gardens this Labour weekend and as spring warms up are being warned about Legionnaires' disease. "Gardeners are at particularly high risk of catching Legionnaires' disease as the bacteria thrive in bags of potting mix and compost," Dr Humphrey said. Dr Humphrey said some people could be in intensive care for weeks with the disease. He said nationwide, Legionnaires' was relatively rare compared with the amount of potting mix sold each year, but it appeared to be more prevalent in Canterbury. "We've always been proactive because we are the garden city and we have had relatively high rates of Legionnaires' disease in the past," Dr Humphrey said.

Source: Otago Daily Times October 27, 2019 05:26 UTC