NYC Legionnaires' Outbreak Kills 5 and Sickens 82 as 8 Remain Hospitalized

3 articles · Updated · Fox News · Jul 22

July 21 totals reached five deaths and 82 diagnosed cases in the Upper East Side outbreak, with eight patients still hospitalized.
Six straight days without a new case suggest the exposure source has likely been eliminated, though New York City health officials are still investigating.
Legionnaires' disease is a bacterial pneumonia usually contracted by inhaling contaminated water droplets from building systems such as cooling towers, plumbing and hot tubs, not through routine person-to-person spread.
Symptoms can appear two to 14 days after exposure and include cough, fever and shortness of breath; doctors say prompt antibiotic treatment is especially important for older adults, smokers and immunocompromised people.
CDC guidance says better water management could prevent nearly 9 in 10 outbreaks by cleaning cooling towers, avoiding stagnant water and maintaining proper temperatures and disinfectant levels.