Legionnaires’ disease in Europe, 2012

​In 2012, 5 852 cases of Legionnaires’ disease were reported in the EU/EEA, well within the range observed in the past five years. Most cases were community-acquired (69%), while 20% were travel-associated and 8% were linked to healthcare facilities.

Legionnaires’ disease remains an important cause of both morbidity and mortality in Europe. Even though sporadic community-acquired cases represent the majority of notified cases, large outbreaks continue to occur, placing temporary pressure on local healthcare services.

France, Italy, Spain, Germany, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom accounted for 84% of all notified cases. Fluctuations observed in the past years have been mainly driven by the number of community-acquired cases reported by these six countries.

Important regional variations have been documented in some countries such as France and Italy, which may be linked to environmental conditions and/or differences in the sensitivity of Legionnaires’ disease surveillance.