Nearly three dozen buildings have been identified as potential sources of a life-threatening lung disease as dozens of people contract the illness.
New York City is battling another Legionnaires’ disease outbreak, reporting 60 cases and 15 hospitalizations. Legionnaires’ disease is a severe form of pneumonia spread through contaminated water vapor that kills one in 10 patients.
A case was first recorded on June 27 and an outbreak was suspected earlier this month as additional cases were reported.
According to NYC Health, 34 people have also been discharged from the hospital and 11 were never hospitalized. There have been no reported deaths in connection to this outbreak.
Now, for the first time, city health officials have released a preliminary list of 31 buildings in the area with cooling towers, which release water mist into the outside air, that have tested positive for the presence of the type of bacteria that causes Legionnaires’ disease.
The buildings on the list span zip codes 10128, 10029, 10075 and 10028, which are located in the Upper East Side, Yorkville and Carnegie Hill areas of Manhattan.
Officials originally identified 10075, 10028 and 10128 as potential hot spots as almost all the patients live, work or recently visited those areas.
Of note among the buildings is the Guggenheim Museum, a building with a Whole Foods Market at the street level, Gracie Towers – a residential building across the street from the New York City mayor’s official residence – a fitness facility and a private school.
Of note among the buildings that have tested positive for the presence of the type of bacteria that causes Legionnaires’ disease is the Guggenheim Museum (pictured above)
A case was first recorded on June 27 and an outbreak was suspected earlier this month as additional cases were reported
Most other addresses on the list are standard apartment, condo or otherwise residential buildings.
According to NYC Health, which published the list on Friday: ‘Every building identified has been ordered to clean and disinfect its cooling tower immediately out of an abundance of caution, and remediation is expected to be completed for all buildings on the list by tomorrow, July 11.’
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No update since July 10 has been given yet on if full remediation has been reached by all buildings.
Officials added that additional testing is being conducted and more buildings may be added to the list.
Regardless of a positive test, only live Legionella bacteria can cause illness, so more in-depth testing is being done to determine if live Legionella were present when the samples were collected.
Those results can take up to two weeks.
Now, following new emergency orders from Mayor Zohran Mamdani, the owners of buildings whose cooling towers tested positive must clean and disinfect those towers immediately – rather than waiting for the live testing results to return.
Legionnaires’ disease is caused by the Legionella bacteria that thrives in warm and damp locations. It can become airborne in water vapor and then be breathed in by people, potentially triggering an infection.
Common sources for the legionella bacteria include centralized air conditioning systems, hot tubs, water fountains and large building plumbing systems.
Officials said it is safe to use air conditioners and cooling centers in the affected zip codes. It is also safe to shower and drink tap water and ‘there is no additional risk being inside one of these buildings.’
The disease does not spread person-to-person.
Infected patients initially suffer from a headache, muscle aches and fever, before the disease also triggers a cough, shortness of breath, chest pain, nausea, vomiting, confusion or other symptoms.
Cooling towers and air conditioning units are seen in the Harlem neighborhood of Manhattan last year amid a Legionnaires’ disease outbreak in the area
In severe cases, patients can suffer from severe pneumonia and the potentially fatal complication sepsis, when the bacteria spreads to the blood.
Doctors can treat the disease using antibiotics, but say that these drugs are most effective during the early stages of the disease and before its spread in the body.
Those who are over 50 years old, smoke or vape, have a chronic lung disease or a weakened immune system are at higher risk from the bacteria.
Nationwide, infections with Legionnaires’ disease have soared over the last two decades, rising from about 1,100 cases in 2000 to more than 8,000 today.
New York City records between 300 to 600 cases every year, according to data from the city’s health department.
In August last year, seven people died and 114 people were sickened by a Legionnaires’ disease outbreak in Harlem. Ninety people were hospitalized.
Health officials linked the outbreak to the bacteria in 12 cooling towers across 10 buildings, including a city-run hospital and sexual health clinic.
About 90 percent of those infected had underlying risk factors including being over 50 years old, being a smoker or having a chronic lung disease.
