A newborn baby has been diagnosed with Legionnaires’ disease at a private hospital in Nicosia, the health ministry confirmed on Friday.

The infant was transferred to the neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Makarios Hospital, where the baby is being treated.

The ministry has not released details of the baby’s condition, nor said how or where the infection was acquired.

The ministry instructed that the operation of the private hospital be suspended.

It also gave instructions for all necessary actions and measures to be taken to address the situation.

The hospital has not been named in the information released so far.

Legionnaires’ disease is a bacterial infection which mainly affects the respiratory system and causes pneumonia.

The bacterium grows in water and is spread chiefly by inhaling droplets of contaminated water.

Possible sources include showers, taps, hot water systems and cooling towers in large buildings, particularly where they are poorly maintained.

The disease does not usually pass from person to person.

Symptoms generally appear between two and ten days after exposure, which include high fever, cough, severe fatigue and difficulty breathing, while some patients also suffer diarrhoea, nausea and abdominal pain.

More to follow…