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Second Patient Dies in Outbreak of Legionnaires’ Disease in Manhattan
The New York Times • • general
Key Points:
- A second person, an 88-year-old man, has died in a Legionnaires’ disease outbreak on Manhattan's Upper East Side, with a total of 72 infections reported since early July.
- Officials believe the source of the outbreak, linked to contaminated cooling towers, has been eliminated following a cleanup and disinfection of 76 buildings' cooling systems in the area.
- Most infected individuals were hospitalized, but all except nine have been discharged, and new cases have significantly declined in the past 10 days.
- Legionnaires’ disease, caused by Legionella bacteria thriving in warm, stagnant water in cooling towers, predominantly affects older adults and those with weakened immune systems.
- The second victim was a retired businessman and Air Force veteran who fell ill on July 2; his family chose to keep his identity private.
