Harlem Legionnaires' disease outbreak

Post Reply New Topic

A person has died and nearly two dozen people have fallen ill as part of a Legionnaires' cluster in Harlem, according to city health officials.

The disease was initially detected on on July 25; since that time, one person has died and 22 have been diagnosed, the New York City Health Department said Wednesday.

There were no details immediately available regarding the person who died as a result of the illness.

Legionnaire's, a type of pneumonia, is caused by the bacteria Legionella, which grows in warm water. The cases from the cluster have been found in five Harlem ZIP codes: 10027, 10030, 10035, 10037 and 10039, along with the bordering communities, according to health officials.

All cooling towers that are operating in the impacted area have been sampled, and the Health Department has told owners of buildings where positive results were found to initiate remediation within a day.

Those who have been in the impacted area since late July and have been experiencing flu-like symptoms, fever, cough or difficulty breathing should seek medial attention immediately, according to the Health Department.

Legionnaires' disease is not transmitted from person to person, and is treatable with antibiotics. It spread by breathing in water vapor containing the Legionella bacteria. Conditions for the bacteria to grow are favorable in things like cooling towers, whirlpool spas, hot tubs, humidifiers, hot water tanks and condensers of large air-conditioning systems.