Health officials reported on Tuesday that a fifth individual has succumbed to an outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease in New York City.
The New York City Department of Health confirmed that the bacteria was found in 34 cooling towers across 33 buildings, prompting a citywide cleaning of these units.
Currently, the source of the bacteria, which sickened over 60 people last month, has not been pinpointed.
According to a department release, there have been no new cases reported in the last 10 days.
Legionnaires’ disease, as noted by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, is a treatable form of pneumonia, although it carries a mortality rate of about 10% among patients.
It’s caused by Legionella bacteria, which thrive in warm water, often found in environments like hot tubs and cooling systems of buildings.
The illness spreads through inhaling contaminated water droplets, but it is not transmissible from one person to another.
At present, eight individuals are still hospitalized due to this Upper East Side outbreak, while 56 have been hospitalized and later discharged, according to officials.
The city is actively cleaning and disinfecting 82 cooling towers in 80 buildings.
Testing revealed the presence of Legionella bacteria in the cooling systems of several upscale apartments, private schools, and well-known museums in the area, despite new regulations that enhanced testing mandates earlier this spring, alongside increased funding for more inspectors.
Some building owners claim they have consistently taken measures to mitigate the risk of Legionella.
For instance, the Guggenheim Museum stated that it engages an external company to inspect and treat its cooling towers monthly.
Jorie Lang, a Texas attorney representing over 50 affected individuals from a previous outbreak that claimed seven lives and infected more than 100 people in Harlem last year, expressed frustration, saying this was a preventable situation.
He represents at least three patients recovering from the current outbreak.
“There is no excuse for this to continue,” Lange remarked. “New York already has the best and strongest regulations…and yet this keeps happening.”
Dr. Alistair F. Martin, the New York City Health Commissioner, mentioned that the rapid response following the initial cases helped save lives.
He indicated that the department aims to learn from the ongoing investigation to update policies and procedures to prevent future outbreaks.
Following the Harlem incident, city officials authorized the hiring of 23 additional aquatic ecologists and supervisors in November to focus on Legionella management, increasing the planned total to 56.
The department announced on Tuesday that it currently has 35 employees, with an additional 14 undergoing training and shadowing experienced inspectors. They are also working to fill the remaining seven positions.
Despite these challenges, officials reported conducting nearly 1,600 cooling tower inspections in the first half of this year, marking a 35% increase over the same timeframe last year.
