One person dies amid Legionnaires’ disease outbreak in New York City
A Legionnaires' disease outbreak in New York City has claimed its first life, with at least 67 infected and dozens hospitalized. Cooling towers on the Upper East Side are under investigation.
Health officials in New York City announced Friday that the first death has occurred in a Legionnaires’ disease outbreak that has sickened dozens. No further details about the victim were released.
The outbreak is centered on Manhattan’s Upper East Side. City health department data shows at least 67 people have been infected, with many hospitalized. Investigators are still trying to pinpoint the source, but much scrutiny has focused on air-conditioning systems atop large buildings, which can release water vapor carrying Legionella bacteria.
Legionnaires’ disease is a treatable form of pneumonia, but kills about 10% of patients, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Last year, an outbreak in New York’s Harlem neighborhood killed seven people and sickened more than 100.
The city began monitoring the current outbreak on July 2, after two infections were reported in the area. Tests have identified either living or dead Legionella bacteria in cooling towers on more than 75 Upper East Side buildings, including prominent museums, private schools, and expensive apartment buildings.
It is not yet clear which, if any, of these towers caused the outbreak, but all buildings have been ordered to clean, drain, and disinfect their cooling towers. Legionella bacteria grow in warm water and can spread via cooling towers, hot tubs, and showerheads. People typically contract the disease by inhaling tiny droplets of contaminated water. The disease does not spread from person to person.
