One person has died and 22 people have fallen ill in a Legionnaires’ disease cluster in the Harlem neighborhood of New York City, city health officials reported July 30.
Legionnaires’ is a type of pneumonia caused by the bacteria Legionella. It grows in warm water and is transmitted through drinking or inhaling vapor of contaminated water.
The outbreak was detected July 15 and has been found in five Zip codes and their bordering communities.
All cooling towers operating in affected areas have been sampled, and the city Health Department has alerted owners of buildings where positive results were found. They must initiate remediation within one day, a release from the city said.
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