QUEBEC CITY, Sept. 2 (UPI) -- The death toll from the Legionnaires' disease outbreak in Quebec City, has reached 11 people, Quebec provincial health officials said Sunday.

Quebec's public health board said as of Sunday a total of 169 people had been confirmed infected with Legionnaires' disease since July, the Canadian Broadcast Corp. reported. Authorities said the overall number of patients afflicted with the infection seems to be tapering off.


Quebec City officials have inspected and disinfected 130 cooling towers across the city. Cooling towers have been found to be prime areas for the Legionnaires' bacteria to thrive.

The regional health authority has ordered building owners, effective Saturday, to maintain a minimum level of chlorine in the cooling towers' water at all time.