Home / Health / NYC Legionnaires' Cases Slow, Source Hunt Continues
NYC Legionnaires' Cases Slow, Source Hunt Continues
15 Jul
Summary
- Legionnaires' disease outbreak in NYC's Upper East Side reaches 60 cases.
- No deaths reported, but 49 patients required hospitalization so far.
- 183 cooling towers inspected; 76 tested positive for bacteria.
Legionnaires' disease has affected 60 people in New York City's Upper East Side, with new diagnoses showing a downward trend, according to health officials. As of Tuesday, 49 patients had been hospitalized, but 34 have recovered and returned home. The illness, caused by Legionella bacteria found in warm water systems, does not spread person-to-person.
City health officials have inspected all 183 cooling towers in the affected ZIP codes. Seventy-six of these towers tested positive for the bacteria in initial screenings. Cleanups, involving draining and disinfecting the towers, have been completed for 56 buildings, including the Guggenheim Museum and several residential complexes.
The outbreak was first identified on July 2. While treatable, Legionnaires' disease can be fatal in approximately 10% of cases. Health officials have accelerated cleanup orders, opting not to wait for further tests to confirm live bacteria presence, a process that previously took about two weeks.
