Two more people have died in connection with the Upper East Side Legionnaires’ disease cluster, bringing the death toll to nine – though the city stressed that both people had been sickened during the original July outbreak, and that there’ve been no new cases in more than three weeks.
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The two latest deaths involved people who were diagnosed weeks ago, and the Health Department said they don’t represent new deaths or new infections. “We mourn each loss, and our hearts are with their loved ones,” Health Commissioner Dr. Alister Martin wrote in a social media post announcing the update.Martin said the source of the outbreak has been eliminated and that no one in the area has been diagnosed or reported new symptoms in more than three weeks, meaning people who live or work there are no longer at increased risk. One person remains hospitalized in connection with the cluster, and the city said its investigation is ongoing as it analyzes samples collected from cooling towers and patients.
The cluster, which surfaced in early July in the Carnegie Hill and Yorkville neighborhoods, grew into one of the largest Legionnaires’ outbreaks the city has seen in years, infecting more than 90 people. The case count has held steady for weeks. The first death was announced in mid-July, and the toll had climbed to seven by the end of the month before Friday’s update pushed it to nine.
City health officials traced the outbreak to contaminated cooling towers, the rooftop systems that can spread Legionella through the mist they release into the outdoor air. Over the course of the investigation, the city sampled every cooling tower in the affected ZIP codes, ordered more than 70 buildings to drain, clean, and disinfect their systems, and took the unusual step of publicly releasing the addresses of buildings that tested positive.
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Officials have maintained throughout that the cluster was never linked to any building’s plumbing, and that it stayed safe to drink tap water, shower, and run air conditioners in the neighborhood. Legionnaires’ disease is a form of pneumonia caused by Legionella bacteria that grow in warm water. It spreads only when someone breathes in contaminated mist, never from person to person, and it’s treatable with antibiotics when caught early. Those at highest risk include people 50 and older, smokers, and anyone with chronic lung disease or a weakened immune system.Have a news tip? Send it to us here!
