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The New York City Health Department confirmed the latest number of deaths and cases linked to the disease on Tuesday, July 21
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- Five deaths and 82 cases of Legionnaires’ disease have now been reported in New York City’s Upper East Side, the New York City Health Department (NYC Health) confirmed on Tuesday, July 21
- Thirty-four cooling towers at 33 buildings tested culture positive for live Legionella bacteria and have since been cleaned and disinfected, the department said
- NYC Health has urged residents and visitors experiencing flu-like symptoms in the affected areas to seek medical care
A fifth person has died from Legionnaires’ disease in New York City.
The New York City Health Department (NYC Health) reported on Tuesday, July 21, that a total of five people had died from the disease and 82 cases had now been recorded in N.Y.C.’s Carnegie Hill and Yorkville neighborhoods with the ZIP codes of 10028, 10128, and 10075.
This marks the fifth consecutive day a death linked to Legionnaires’ disease has been reported in N.Y.C., specifically in the Upper East Side area. The first fatal case was announced on Friday, July 17.
NYC Health announced that among the 82 people who tested positive, eight remain in the hospital and 56 have been discharged. A total of 13 people were not hospitalized.
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The department revealed on Tuesday that a total of 183 cooling towers at 160 buildings had tested positive for Legionella bacteria, while 34 cooling towers at 33 buildings had tested culture positive for live Legionella bacteria. Seventy-seven cooling towers at 75 buildings “had tested PCR positive for the presence of Legionella bacteria in initial testing,” NYC Health noted.
The buildings have been cleaned and disinfected.
Legionnaires’ disease is “a type of pneumonia caused by the Legionella bacteria,” the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) said in a 2023 news release. Symptoms include a cough, shortness of breath, fever, muscle aches, and headaches.
“Most people exposed to Legionella will not get sick; however, it can cause severe illness and sometimes result in death,” said the DHHS. “People do not spread Legionnaires’ disease to other people … While many people may just develop mild symptoms, if left untreated, Legionnaires’ disease can be fatal.”
Retired businessman and Air Force veteran, Robert Goldstein, died from the disease at age 88 on Friday.
“My husband died in the Lenox Hill ICU. I watched him suffer on life support every single day,” his widow, Ida, said on Tuesday, per NBC 4 New York. “To know that a negligent property owner turned our neighborhood into a toxic danger zone, forcing me to breathe in the same air, is an unimaginable horror.”
Ida said she plans to file a lawsuit against the owner of the cooling tower that made her husband ill, per NBC 4 New York.
NYC Health reported that Legionnaires’ disease is “not caused by any building’s plumbing system” and residents in the affected ZIP codes can “continue to drink tap water, bathe, shower, cook, and use your air conditioner at home.”
City officials have said that they believe the Legionnaires’ outbreak may now be under control, per NBC 4 New York.
NYC Health is urging anyone visiting or living in the affected areas in New York City who “are experiencing flu-like symptoms, such as [a] cough, fever, or difficulty breathing” to “contact a health care provider immediately.”
NYC Health didn’t immediately respond when contacted by PEOPLE for additional information.
Read the original article on People
