nine British pensioners have received hospital treatment for Legionnaires' Disease after a stay at Spanish hotel, it has been reported. A 76-year-old man is in an intensive care unit at the Benidorm Clinic, two more are being treated on regular wards while a fourth has already been allowed home. Dr Delfin Arzua from the clinic said: "Four British holidaymakers were admitted with symptoms of pneumonia and tests have confirmed Legionnaires' disease." Five more pensioners were treated in UK hospitals after suffering symptoms when they returned home from Spain. They all fell ill after holidaying at the four-star AR Diamante Beach hotel in Calpe, on the Costa Blanca, local journalist Tom Worden told Sky News. Legionnaires' disease is a potentially fatal form of pneumonia most likely to affect the elderly or ill. People catch the disease by inhaling small droplets of water from the air which contain the bacteria. A spokesman for travel agent Saga said holidaymakers were moved to another nearby hotel after the cases were reported and a British scientist was sent to investigate the suspected outbreak. The scientist found no trace of the bug in the hotel but he did recommend some changes to the plumbing. A spokeswoman for the Alicante health authority said: "Once the alert was raised the entire water and sanitation structure of the hotel was cleaned. "As the incubation period is 10 to 12 days we cannot rule out new cases in the next few days."
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