A traditional bath house in Southern Japan is believed to be at the centre of an outbreak of Legionnaires disease that has killed six people and infected up to 272 others.
All of those infected, including 22 who are being treated in hospital, had recently bathed at the newly opened Sun Park hot springs in Hyuga town, Miyakazi prefecture. “We’re fielding a lot of calls from worried people who used the onsen, most of them from the local area”, Toshiro Atae Miyakazi Health Department.
The disease, which recently killed four people in an outbreak in Britain, is a form of pneumonia caused by bacteria living in water droplets.
Visiting thermal baths or “onsen” is pastime enjoyed by millions in Japan, who think that it relieves stress and promotes health.