Four people now have died as a result of contracting legionnaires’ disease at the San Francisco Xavier Hospital in Lisbon.
The Judicial Police and the Central Department of Investigation and Criminal Action are investigating possible negligence in the hospital’s cleaning regime.
Health authorities are reviewing the autopsy reports of the first two victims and looking at the analysis of the water samples collected from the hospital’s cooling towers and water system.
Rather late in the day, the Government wants to apply sanctions to authorities which do not evaluate air quality and whose maintenance process is insufficient to spot a build-up of deadly bacteria.
Maintenance and cleaning was subcontracted and the police are to interview those responsible at the private company charged with these tasks.
The outbreak of legionella in the São Francisco Xavier Hospital in Lisbon has killed four people. The increase in the number of deaths was confirmed by the director general of Health, Graças Freitas.
There have been 44 confirmed cases and the Health Regulatory Body has opened an inquiry to find out what happened at the State-run hospital.
Portugal’s president, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, said it was "very important, for the sake of transparency", to know the cause of the outbreak of legionella in the hospital as he expressed regret and his solidarity with the families of the victims.
Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa also said that "in the recent history of the National Health Service this outbreak is an exceptional case."
The infection can be contracted by air respiratory, by inhaling droplets of water or by aspiration of contaminated water.
