4th person dies after a Legionnaires' disease outbreak sickens dozens in New York City
The outbreak in Central Harlem has sickened dozens since it began in late July. Seventeen people were hospitalized as of Thursday, according to the health department.
The bacteria that causes Legionnaires' disease had been discovered in 12 cooling towers on 10 buildings, including a city-run hospital and sexual health clinic, health officials said. Remediation efforts have been completed on 11 of the cooling towers, with the final tower's remediation required to be completed Friday.
Legionnaires' disease is a type of pneumonia that is caused by Legionella bacteria, which grow in warm water and spread through building water systems. The city's outbreak has been linked to cooling towers, which use water and a fan to cool buildings.
People usually develop symptoms — a cough, fever, headaches, muscle aches and shortness of breath — between two days to two weeks after exposure to the bacteria, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Dr. Michelle Morse, the city's acting health commissioner, said new cases in the Central Harlem outbreak have begun to decline 'which indicates that the sources of the bacteria have been contained.' She urged people who live or work in the area to contact a health care provider if they develop flu-like symptoms.
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Yahoo
8 hours ago
- Yahoo
NYC Legionnaires' disease cluster grows to 99 cases, 4 deaths
Health officials in New York City say a cluster of Legionnaires' disease in Central Harlem has grown to 99 cases, including four deaths. Health officials suspect the bacteria that causes the disease, Legionella, originated cooling towers — devices that uses water to cool large buildings and then disperse mist into the air. If the water inside becomes too warm, stagnant, or isn't properly disinfected, Legionella can grow and sicken people who inhale the mist. On Thursday, the New York City Department of Health confirmed positive tests of the bacteria in 12 cooling towers serving 10 buildings in the area, including NYC Health + Hospitals/Harlem. The Department of Health says 11 of the 12 cooling towers have already been repaired and the final tower should be remediated by Friday. Health officials emphasized that plumbing systems are separate from cooling tower systems in affected buildings. 'This community outbreak is not related to a building's hot or cold water supply. Residents in these ZIP codes can continue to drink water, bathe, shower, cook, and use their air conditioner,' it said. The current Legionnaires' cluster was first announced on July 25. Acting Health Commissioner Dr. Michelle Morse said inspectors are working with building owners to ensure compliance with testing and remediation. 'The good news is that new cases have begun to decline, which indicates that the sources of the bacteria have been contained,' Morse said. 'New Yorkers who live or work in the identified ZIP codes and have flu-like symptoms should contact a health care provider as soon as possible for timely diagnosis and treatment for the best chance at a good outcome.' Legionnaires' disease causes flu-like symptoms, including cough, fever, headaches, muscle aches, and shortness of breath. It is treatable with antibiotics, but if left untreated, it can lead to shock and multi-organ failure, according to the World Health Organization. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that about 10% of people who contract the disease die from complications, with older adults and people with weakened immune systems at higher risk.
New York Post
11 hours ago
- New York Post
Harlem residents accuse NYC of shirking life-saving inspections amid deadly Legionnaires' disease outbreak: ‘Irresponsible'
The deadly Legionnaires' outbreak gripping Harlem has city officials in hot water — as locals accused them Friday of dropping the ball on life-saving inspections and needlessly slow-walking revealing exactly where the disease hit. Many outraged Harlem residents told The Post they only learned that they lived or worked in one of 10 buildings with cooling towers that tested positive for the insidious Legionnaires'-causing bacterium after the list was unveiled Thursday — weeks into the outbreak that has killed four people. 'Why weren't these cooling towers properly maintained? Who dropped the ball and why?' raged Nichole Ingram, who fell ill with Legionnaires' disease around July 24 after she attended a funeral service in 2239 Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Blvd, one of the affected buildings. 4 The Department of Health confirms that four New Yorkers have died amidst the outbreak, along with 17 individuals still hospitalized with a total of 99 cases confirmed. Rob Jejenich / NY Post Design Ingram, 53, said her son Raymond, an asthmatic 35-year-old, was still hospitalized with the flu-like, respiratory illness in New York-Presbyterian Hospital after a stay in Harlem Hospital — one of several city-owned buildings with affected cooling towers. 'Why buildings in Harlem and not in lower Manhattan? People are losing their lives unnecessarily,' she said. The outbreak comes amid a drop in cooling tower inspections. Only roughly 1,200 cooling towers were inspected for Legionnaires' bacteria during the first six months of this year, compared to nearly 5,100 at the same point in 2017, data provided by the city Department of Health shows. Building owners by law are required to test for the disease-causing bacteria Legionella every 90 days to avoid outbreaks. Four New Yorkers have died in the current outbreak and 17 remain hospitalized out of 99 confirmed cases, DOH officials said Thursday. Officials that day also finally released — after weeks of only providing five ZIP codes — the addresses of the buildings with the 12 total cooling towers that tested positive for Legionella. All but one of the 10 buildings were either behind on the mandated testing or had cooling towers that weren't checked at all this year, according to Gothamist. 4 Nichole Ingram, 52, one of the individuals affected by the deadly Legionnaires' outbreak, told The Post, 'Why weren't these cooling towers properly maintained?' mentioning her son Raymond, 35, is still recovering in the hospital. Obtained by NY Post In addition to Harlem Hospital, the city-owned buildings with affected cooling towers were Central Harlem Sexual Health Clinic, the NYC Economic Development Corporation and CUNY's Marshak Science Building, the DOH said. Health Commissioner Michelle Morse argued the city withheld the building addresses to help keep all New Yorkers vigilant, regardless of where they live. 'We did not want people to think, well, I don't live there, I don't have to worry,' she said. But New Yorkers who live and work in the buildings were horrified after the last-minute revelation — with some only hearing it from The Post on Friday. 'You're going to a hospital for a care and there's a possibility you're getting sick because of the lack of inspections?' asked Mariela L. 57, who was visiting a family member at Harlem Hospital. 'That's irresponsible on the city's part. To my knowledge, they did not inform the patients before the news broke. My family member found out from me and I found out from the news.' A manager at GNC Live Well in 215 West 125th Street, an affected building also with medical offices and a bank, said he didn't know until Friday. 'Nobody from the building told us anything,' he said. 'We're the last to find out. We find out when the damage is done, the ship is sinking.' 4 The Gothamist reported that 10 of the buildings where the center of the outbreak has occurred were either behind on the mandated testing or had cooling towers that weren't checked yet this year. Google Earth Legionnaires' bacteria is found in freshwater and can grow in water systems such as those used for air conditioning large buildings, especially during warmer weather. Mist released by the cooling towers can send the bacteria into the air, and if inhaled, it can cause Legionnaires' disease, a severe form of pneumonia. The last wave of Legionnaires' this rampant hit the Big Apple a decade ago — and prompted the cooling tower inspection law. In summer 2015, toxic cooling towers at the Opera House Hotel infected more than 100 and killed 12 in the South Bronx, following a smaller outbreak in Co-op City earlier that year. Start your day with all you need to know Morning Report delivers the latest news, videos, photos and more. Thanks for signing up! Enter your email address Please provide a valid email address. By clicking above you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Never miss a story. Check out more newsletters But despite the legislation requiring regular testing, another widespread outbreak hit Washington Heights in upper Manhattan in 2018, killing one person and sickening 60 others. Councilwoman Julie Menin (D-Manhattan), who sits on the body's health committee, promised a 'hard-hitting hearing' in September over the health department's failures in the most recent outbreak. 'I think it's unconscionable that we have a department of health with a staffing vacancy rate hovering around 9%,' she said. 'And that the city wouldn't even initially disclose the locations of the cooling towers that tested positive even though multiple locations — four of them in fact — were city owned buildings. We clearly needed faster and more transparent government response to legionnaires that keeps New York are safe.' 4 The NYC Health Department Central Harlem Sexual Health Clinic was among the sites linked to the outbreak. Luiz C. Ribeiro for New York Post State Sen. Cordell Cleare (D-Manhattan) questioned why the outbreak was concentrated in Harlem. 'Surely, the Legionella bacteria do not have a special affiliation with our neighborhood?' she said. 'We question why it only seems to be in this area. We do not want to be the canaries in the coal mine.' Ingram's lawyer, Jory Lange, is representing 31 patients in the latest Legionnaires' outbreak and will likely be filing a lawsuit when the actual source of the outbreak is identified. Lange said simple maintenance, akin to using chlorine to clean a pool, is all that's needed to keep Legionnaires' at bay. 'A Legionnaires' outbreak should not be happening in 2025. We're seeing this every summer in New York,' he said. 'People are breaking the law.' — Additional reporting by Georgett Roberts, Matthew Fischetti, Vaughn Golden and Craig McCarthy
San Francisco Chronicle
11 hours ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Three years after his death, cricketer Shane Warne's legacy lives on with heart health checks
BRISBANE, Australia (AP) — Cricketer Shane Warne's legacy lives on more than three years after the death of the great spin bowler from a heart attack at the age of 52. Warne died in March 2022 after suffering cardiac arrest while on holiday on the Thai island of Koh Samui. The cause of his sudden death led his business team and family to unite to honor his life and create Shane Warne Legacy. The charity set up free heart health checkup machines at the Melbourne Cricket Ground during the past two Boxing Day tests. The results of the stadium checks along with 311 community pharmacy stations across Australia were analyzed as part of a Monash University-led study. A total of 76,085 people were screened across seven weeks from mid-December 2023 to the end of January 2024, including 7,740 at the MCG. The research published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology on Friday showed almost seven out of 10 (68.9%) had at least one uncontrolled risk factor for heart disease. Factors were elevated blood pressure readings (37.2%), elevated body mass index (60.5%) and being a smoker (12.1%). Cricket spectators who did the free checks, mostly men aged 35 to 64, had higher rates of elevated blood pressure and body mass index than those screened at pharmacies. Warne revived and elevated the art of leg-spin bowling when he emerged on the international scene in the 1990s and was a central character in one of Australia's most successful eras in the sport. He also was one of cricket's larger-than-life showmen. Warne held the record for the most test wickets with 708 when he retired in 2007 after his 145th match. Only Sri Lanka off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan has passed him, with 800. 'Meeting people where they are, whether that's at their local pharmacy or the MCG, can make all the difference to health outcomes,' said Dr. Sean Tan, a cardiologist and researcher at the Victorian Heart Institute. Warne's long-time personal assistant Helen Nolan said the findings reinforced Shane Warne Legacy's mission to turn his death into a catalyst for change. The charity's chief executive described the results as 'bittersweet.' 'We're proud to have helped thousands take their heart health seriously but we know there's still work to do,' Nolan said. 'Shane would have wanted this to make a massive difference.'
