A teacher nearly died and is still suffering ill-health a year-and-a-half after he is thought to have contracted Legionnaires' disease from the shower during a four-star hotel stay. Gary McClellan, 68, spent several days in hospital in intensive car after developing the disease and deteriorated so much his family "feared the worst".
The effects of the illness have been so severe, Mr McClellan has been forced to retire from his job. It is thought he was exposed to the bacteria that causes Legionnaires' from the hot and cold water of the shower.
He was working part-time as an assistant head teacher when he fell ill after staying overnight at the Port Lympne Hotel in Hythe, Kent, between June 18 and 19, 2021. After doing preliminary tests, Public Health England reported the results from the hotel had come back as positive for legionella.
