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New York Legionnaires' disease outbreak claims first victim
AP News • • health
Key Points:
- A Legionnaires’ disease outbreak in New York City’s Upper East Side has resulted in the first reported death, with at least 67 people infected and many hospitalized.
- Health officials are investigating the source, focusing on air conditioning cooling towers atop over 75 buildings, including museums, schools, and apartments, where Legionella bacteria have been detected.
- All identified buildings have been ordered to clean, drain, and disinfect their cooling towers to prevent further spread of the bacteria.
- Legionnaires’ disease is a treatable form of pneumonia caused by Legionella bacteria, which grow in warm water and spread through inhalation of contaminated water droplets, but it does not spread from person to person.
- The outbreak began being tracked on July 2, and similar outbreaks in New York have previously caused multiple deaths and illnesses, such as the 2023 Harlem outbreak.
