Fifth person dies in Legionnaires' disease outbreak in NYC neighborhood - USA Today
A Legionnaires' disease outbreak in Manhattan's Upper East Side has resulted in five deaths and at least 82 confirmed cases. Health officials have identified contaminated cooling towers as the source and are conducting remediation efforts.
Why it matters
Public health outbreaks in densely populated urban areas require rapid government intervention to prevent further spread and ensure infrastructure safety.
Hear this story A fifth person has died in connection to a cluster of Legionnaires' disease in New York City , health officials reported July 21.
The New York City health department said in a news release that it has identified at least 82 cases of the disease in an outbreak on the Upper East Side of Manhattan. Eight people remain hospitalized, while 56 people have been discharged from the hospital.
The department pointed to cooling towers found on buildings in the tony neighborhood as the source of the outbreak, saying that 34 cooling towers at 33 buildings returned positive tests for live Legionella bacteria, the organism responsible for the disease. Those towers and all buildings that have tested positive for the bacteria, dead or live, have been cleaned, according to the release.
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