Yankee Stadium tower among 10 ordered cleaned as Bronx Legionnaires' cases rise
New York City health officials have ordered the cleaning of 10 cooling towers, including one at Yankee Stadium, following a rise in Legionnaires' disease cases in the South Bronx. While the stadium's cooling towers tested negative for the bacteria in August, the city is taking precautionary measures as the investigation continues.
Why it matters
Legionnaires' disease outbreaks pose significant public health risks in dense urban environments, necessitating rapid infrastructure remediation.
SOUTH BRONX (WABC) -- New cases have been identified in a growing Legionnaires' disease cluster in the South Bronx, and city health officials have ordered 10 cooling towers, including at Yankee Stadium, to be cleaned and disinfected after preliminary testing detected Legionella bacteria.
The New York City Health Department said nine people have now been diagnosed with Legionnaires' disease in connection with the cluster in the Melrose and Morrisania sections of the Bronx, up from five cases reported earlier in the week . One person has died, three people remain hospitalized, four have been discharged and one person did not require hospitalization.
As investigators work to identify the source of the outbreak, the city has ordered 10 cooling towers to undergo full remediation, including draining, cleaning and disinfection, by Monday.
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in