Leszek Szymański/PAP

The number of deaths from an outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease has risen to 19, health authorities in the south-eastern city of Rzeszow said in a statement on Saturday.

The last two victims of the deadly bacterium were patients admitted to hospital on August 31. 

The head of the Rzeszow Sanitary Inspectorate, Jaromir Slaczka, said on Saturday that all 19 people who had died were being treated for other medical conditions. 

In all, at least 160 people infected with Legionella have been hospitalised since the outbreak in various hospitals across the country, but most of the patients (107) are in Rzeszow. 

The health authorities are still trying to determine the source of the contamination. 

Legionnaires’ disease, caused by the Legionella bacterium, is not contagious and cannot be spread directly from person to person, but can multiply in water and air-conditioning systems. Older adults, smokers and people with weakened immune systems are particularly susceptible to the disease.