Dutch Battle Legionnaires'

Another person infected with Legionnaires' disease died over the weekend in the Netherlands, bringing the death toll to 17 in the last month.

Of 231 others who have complained of symptoms, 94 have been confirmed as cases of Legionnaires', officials said Monday. The conditions of those infected with the deadly pneumonia-like illness were not released.

Authorities have traced the outbreak to a convention hall in Bovenkarpsel, 40 miles north of Amsterdam, where a flower show, a consumer products show and a household goods show were all held in February.

Although the precise cause is not known, investigators are examining the possibility that the bacteria that cause the disease were spread through warm water circulating in a whirlpool. They have not said whether the whirlpool was part of the flower show or belonged to one of the other shows.

An estimated 80,000 people attended the Westfriese Flora flower show alone. The outbreak has prompted officials to step up inspections of exhibit halls and other public venues nationwide.

Legionnaires' disease first surfaced in 1976 at a convention of the American Legion in Pennsylvania, where 220 of the 4,000 people attending were infected and 34 died.

The bacteria believed to cause the illness is found in soil and thrives in air-conditioning ducts, storage tanks and rivers. Experts say the germ, spread through the air via tiny water particles, kills one out of every six people it infects.