Legionnaires' disease Annual Epidemiological Report for 2022

In 2022, the notification rate of Legionnaires’ disease steadily increased to 2.6 per 100 000 population from the two previous years (2.4 in 2021 and 1.9 in 2020). Notification rates remained heterogenous across the European Union/European Economic Area (EU/EEA), varying from less than 0.5 per 100 000 population to the highest rate of 6.1 cases per 100 000 population reported by Slovenia. Four countries (France, Germany, Italy, and Spain) accounted for 73% of all notified cases.

Most cases occurred between June and October, with a later peak in September and higher than average cases seen in December. The median age of cases increased from 64 years in 2018 to 67 years in 2022. Males aged 65 years and above were most affected (7.1 cases per 100 000 population vs 2.8 in females). The number of reported cases to the travel-associated surveillance scheme were 48% more in 2022 compared with 2021.

Five countries reported a total of 33 community- or hospital-acquired outbreaks with a total of 205 cases.