Legionnaire's disease outbreak in Portugal kills 5

Portuguese health authorities say an outbreak of Legionnaire's disease has caused five deaths and sickened about 38 people over the past week.

Francisco George, the country's director-general for health, says officials are trying to trace the source of the outbreak.

In a statement released late Monday, he said all those sickened became infected in a cluster of small towns about 35 kilometers (20 miles) north of the capital, Lisbon.

Legionnaire's disease causes a serious lung infection and is especially dangerous for the elderly or those with respiratory ailments.

It is not contagious and is usually caught by inhaling small droplets of contaminated water. It is treated with antibiotics.