NYC Legionnaires’ Cluster Kills 4, Reaches 76 Cases as 76 Cooling Towers Test Positive
Updated
Updated · CNN · Jul 17
NYC Legionnaires’ Cluster Kills 4, Reaches 76 Cases as 76 Cooling Towers Test Positive
3 articles · Updated · CNN · Jul 17
Summary
A fourth person has died in New York City’s Upper East Side Legionnaires’ cluster, which had reached 76 reported cases by Monday; seven people remain hospitalized and 53 have been discharged.
Seventy-six building cooling towers tested positive for Legionella, and owners were ordered to drain, clean and disinfect them after officials linked the outbreak to bacteria in those systems.
City officials said the exposure source has likely been eliminated, citing no new symptom onset in more than a week and a sharp drop in illnesses after July 8.
The spike has been concentrated in ZIP codes 10128, 10028 and 10075, while health officials said the cluster is not tied to drinking water, showers or air conditioners.
Last year, a Harlem Legionnaires’ cluster hospitalized 92 people and killed seven, prompting a May law requiring more frequent cooling-tower inspections and higher fines.