Legionnaires’ disease has killed three people and sickened dozens more in Central Harlem, New York City, in the latest cluster of outbreaks that have made headlines in recent years. Experts say a combination of environmental factors, including climate change and aging infrastructure, as well as human behavior, are likely behind the rise in reported cases nationwide.
The bacteria, Legionella, thrives in warm water, which is why rising temperatures contribute to the increase in cases during the summer months. In New York City, high-poverty neighborhoods with underlying health issues like asthma are disproportionately affected by Legionnaires’. The city’s strong regulations for preventing the growth of Legionella in buildings’ water systems have been implemented since a devastating outbreak in 2015.
However, despite these efforts, hundreds of cases still occur each year. In 2022, 257 New Yorkers were diagnosed with Legionnaires’, and outbreaks over the past decade have resulted in additional deaths. The number of Legionnaires’ cases reported annually in the US has increased dramatically since 2000, particularly in Northeast states like New York.
Increased awareness within the medical community is also a contributing factor to more diagnoses. Researchers say physicians are more likely to think about Legionnaires’ disease when they see patients with pneumonia. Experts emphasize that Legionnaires’ disease is largely preventable if building owners take proper steps to test for and mitigate Legionella.
New York state law requires hospitals and residential health care facilities to establish a sampling and management plan to control Legionella, while New York City law mandates registration of water cooling towers with the city. However, public data shows that inspections have decreased since the laws were enacted, and some building owners may not be following proper maintenance procedures.
City officials have taken aggressive measures to stop the outbreak in Harlem, including screening all water cooling towers in the affected area for Legionella and conducting remediation efforts at 11 buildings that tested positive. However, it remains unclear whether these efforts are linked to the current outbreak.
Source: https://gothamist.com/news/why-so-many-legionnaires-cases-in-ny-environmental-and-human-factors-may-play-a-role