The gardening risk that can turn deadly; what you need to know
Health officials in New Zealand are warning gardeners about the risks of Legionnaires' disease, which can be contracted from inhaling bacteria found in potting mix. The warning follows a spike in cases in the Canterbury region.
Why it matters
Public health awareness regarding common gardening materials is essential to preventing severe respiratory illness.
Canterbury records 36 Legionnaires' disease cases, nearly a quarter of the national total, as risks linked to potting mix remain. Photo / NZ Herald A Christchurch woman still remembers how a spring gardening job more than a decade ago left her fighting for her life with Legionnaires’ disease.
Anne-Marie Prendeville became critically ill after using potting mix in her garden in 2013, with doctors telling her husband to “prepare for the worst”.
Her experience comes as Health New Zealand figures show Canterbury recorded 36 cases of Legionnaires’ disease in the year to August 31, accounting for nearly a quarter of cases nationwide and two-thirds of those in the South Island.
Of the 54 South Island cases, 46 required hospitalisation.
Nationally, there were 152 cases over the same period, with 135 requiring hospital treatment.
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