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Legionnaires’ Outbreak on Upper East Side Is Over, N.Y.C. Officials Say
The New York Times • • health
Key Points:
- New York City health authorities have declared the Legionnaires’ disease outbreak on Manhattan’s Upper East Side over, after no new cases have been reported for several weeks.
- The outbreak resulted in seven deaths and 92 infections, with most cases occurring in early July and the last case diagnosed on July 21.
- Officials identified a cooling tower, part of a rooftop air-conditioning system, as the likely source of the Legionella bacteria responsible for the outbreak.
- Legionnaires’ disease, caused by inhaling bacteria-laden mist from contaminated cooling towers, poses severe risks especially to older adults and those with underlying health conditions.
- Cooling towers have been linked to previous deadly Legionnaires’ outbreaks in New York City, including incidents in Harlem last year and the South Bronx in 2015.
