A sixth person has died from Legionnaire’s disease in Central Harlem, according to an update by the city health department. The new death brings the total number of fatalities since a 2015 Bronx outbreak to 16. There have been 111 reported cases, with seven people still hospitalized.
City officials say the outbreak is waning, but more cases could emerge as treatment increases and earlier cases are confirmed. Legionnaire’s disease spreads through contaminated water droplets and vapor from cooling towers on rooftops.
Twelve water-cooling towers in Harlem tested positive for Legionella bacteria, which causes the disease. Remediation work was completed on August 15. However, nine buildings had towers that were overdue or uninspected by the city within the past year. The inspection unit lost nearly a third of its staff since 2022.
The health department is still working to identify the source of the recent outbreak through DNA sequencing.
Source: https://gothamist.com/news/sixth-death-tied-to-legionnaires-disease-outbreak-in-central-harlem