An 89-year-old patient at the Hong Kong Sanatorium and Hospital in Happy Valley is highly likely to have contracted legionnaires’ disease after drinking water from a contaminated dispenser, health authorities have said.
The Centre for Health Protection confirmed on Tuesday, August 4th, 2026, that samples from devices dispensing cooled boiled water at the private hospital tested positive for Legionella pneumophila at levels far above the safety threshold for high-risk hospital areas. Genetic testing revealed that the bacteria matched the strain found in the patient’s respiratory specimen.
The patient had been hospitalized since April 1st for underlying illnesses and occasionally experienced symptoms such as shortness of breath. His condition worsened on July 6th, prompting hospital staff to collect a respiratory specimen that tested positive for Legionella pneumophila.
Currently, 137 patients who stayed on the same floor as the infected man are under medical surveillance, but none have developed the disease.
Legionnaires’ disease is a severe, potentially life-threatening form of pneumonia caused by inhaling Legionella bacteria.
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