Australia's New South Wales (NSW) Government has granted an A$500,000 ($325,404) award to NSW Health Pathology (NSWHP) at Westmead Hospital to enhance the detection and response to Legionnaires' disease outbreaks.

The grant will enable NSWHP to develop a genomic surveillance system to optimise the process of matching samples.

By incorporating genomics technology into existing environmental and public health surveillance systems, the pathology unit aims to cut down the time to verify community clusters of legionellosis. This approach aids in identifying connections between cases that may have otherwise gone unnoticed.

The research project will be conducted by NSWHP’s Institute of Clinical Pathology and Medical Research at Westmead.

The research team is also collaborating with Health Protection NSW and Public Health Units in Western Sydney and South Eastern Sydney Local Health Districts.

NSW medical research minister David Harris said: “There have been several large outbreaks of Legionnaires’ disease in Sydney in the past few years, and the community stands to benefit from innovative new tools to help control outbreaks.

“If successful, this research will enable public health authorities to confirm clusters of cases sooner, potentially helping them identify the source of infection and prevent further spread in the community.”

An infectious lung condition, Legionnaires' disease is spread through water droplets containing the legionella bacteria, often associated with air conditioning cooling water systems.

The Public Health Regulation 2022 mandates the safe management of cooling water systems to avert the growth and spread of Legionella bacteria.

However, the government noted that accurately identifying the source of a legionella outbreak remains a challenge.

Last week, the government announced an A$20m investment in the construction of the new Batemans Bay Community Health facility.