Dubai hotel clear of Legionella - initial tests

NEGATIVE TESTS: The Dubai hotel at the centre of a Legionella scare has been cleared of habouring the bacteria following first line tests. Getty Images) testing

Preliminary tests have found no evidence of the bacteria that causes Legionnaire’s disease at the Dubai hotel where a BBC cricket statistician and commentator stayed before dying from the illness, it was reported Monday.

Bill Frindall, who died on Friday, contracted the disease during a charity cricket tour of the UAE two weeks ago, according to UAE daily The National.

The Westin Dubai Mina Seyahi Beach Resort and Marina is the focus of an on-going public health investigation to identify the source of the Legionella bacteria behind Frindall's death, which is being carried out in collaboration with Dubai Health Authority (DHA).

On Sunday the five-star hotel released a statement saying that a total of three former guests, including Frindall, had contracted the disease, which is commonly caused by a proliferation of legionella bacteria in air conditioning units.

Initial tests of water samples taken from the hotel showed “unequivocally no evidence of Legionella has been found”, a spokeswoman said.

The DHA said it had a duty to take any claim of an outbreak of an infectious disease “very seriously” and that a recognised procedure was in place to deal with such allegations.

“However while the current claim is being investigated we cannot add anything further at this stage,” a spokesman added.

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