FIVE people were today fighting for their lives in hospital following what could be the largest outbreak of Legionnaire's Disease in the world.

One man has died and 19 people have been confirmed with the disease, nine of whom were today in intensive care, while the remaining 10 were in a poorly but stable condition.

Five of those were giving doctors "cause for concern", a hospital spokesman said.

A further 35 men and women were suspected to have the disease following the outbreak in the Cumbrian town of Barrow-in-Furness.

A council-run civic centre opposite Barrow Town Hall has been closed as a precaution while tests are carried out to identify the source of the outbreak.

Yesterday, an 89-year-old local man became the first victim of the outbreak, which hospital officials said could claim up to 20 lives.

Legionnaires' Disease got its name in 1976 when there was an outbreak of pneumonia among people attending an American Legion Convention in Philadelphia. Twenty-nine legionnaires died. The disease is a form of pneumonia caused by bacteria which live in water droplets.

Ian Cumming, chief executive of Morecambe Bay NHS Trust, said that, historically, about 15 per cent of those hospitalised with Legionnaire's Disease "would not pull through".

Predicting that about 130 patients would be admitted to hospital in the next fortnight, he said that between 15 and 20 patients might die from the current outbreak.

If those figures were borne out, the outbreak could be among the worst in the world, doctors said.