One person dies amid legionnaires’ disease outbreak in New York City | New York
New York has suffered the first death in an outbreak of legionnaires’ disease that has sickened dozens of people, health officials said Friday.
Authorities have not released additional information about the person’s identity, age or details about when or how he became ill.
Investigators are still trying to determine the source of the outbreak that has infected at least 67 people on Manhattan’s Upper East Side and hospitalized dozens, according to city health department data. Much of the scrutiny has focused on air conditioning systems at the top of many large buildings, which can release water vapor that carries bacteria.
Legionnaires’ disease, a form of pneumonia, is treatable but kills about 10% of patients, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Last year, an outbreak in New York’s Harlem district killed seven people and sickened more than 100.
City officials began monitoring the current outbreak on July 2 after two people in the area became infected.
City says tests determined it was alive or dead legionella Bacteria (disease-causing microorganisms) are found in the cooling towers of more than 75 Upper East Side buildings. These include leading museums, private schools and expensive apartment buildings.
It is not yet clear which of these, if any, contributed to the outbreak, but all buildings have been ordered to clean, drain and disinfect their cooling towers, which are devices sometimes used to cool large buildings.
legionella Bacteria grow in warm water and can spread in cooling towers, whirlpools, and shower heads. In most cases, people contract the disease by breathing in small droplets of contaminated water. Legionnaires’ disease does not spread from person to person.
