4 dead as Legionnaires' disease continues to spread in NYC
The outbreak had sickened at least 99 people as of Thursday, 17 of whom were hospitalized, officials said.
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.
Health officials disclosed Thursday that 12 cooling towers within Harlem buildings tested positive for the bacteria. Those affected include Harlem Hospital, a city health clinic, a popular retail center on 125th Street, a CUNY college science building and the Harlem condo center on Lenox Avenue.
Health officials said all cooling towers in those areas have been cleaned.
Nichole Ingram, who was among the first to contract the disease in late July, said she is still suffering from symptoms and that her 35-year-old son is still hospitalized after almost dying from it.
'He did not flatline, but he came very close to it,' she said. 'They had to intubate him; he had a life-saving machine.'
People usually develop symptoms of Legionnaires' disease around two to 14 days after being exposed. People often get the disease by inhaling mist from contaminated water, but it is not spread from person to person. Symptoms include fever, muscle aches and coughing.
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.'
Anyone living in Central Harlem who has these symptoms is encouraged to call a doctor immediately.
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Legionnaires' disease cluster in New York City causes a 4th death, sickens over 100 people. What is it, and how do you get it?
NYC health officials identified the buildings connected to the outbreak, one being Harlem Hospital. A fourth person has died, and over 100 people have been sickened with Legionnaires' disease — 15 of them currently hospitalized — amid an outbreak in central Harlem in New York City, health officials said Thursday. The disease was initially detected on July 25. Since then, the New York City Department of Health has been investigating the cluster and linked it to 12 cooling towers in 10 Harlem buildings. Cooling towers are structures containing water and a fan that are used to regulate a building's temperature. Eleven of the 12 cooling towers that tested positive for the bacteria that cause Legionnaires' disease have been remediated, with the last one currently undergoing remediation, acting Health Commissioner Michelle Morse said during a Thursday news conference. Health officials released a list on Thursday that identifies the 10 buildings connected to the outbreak: BRP Companies, Lafayette Development LLC, 2239 Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Blvd. BVK, 215 W. 125th St. Commonwealth Local Development, 301 W. 124th St. CUNY — City College Marshak Science Building, 181 Convent Ave. Harlem Center Condo, 317 Lenox Ave. NYC Economic Development Corporation, 40 W. 137th St. NYC Health Department Central Harlem Sexual Health Clinic, 2238 Fifth Ave. NYC Health + Hospitals/Harlem, 506 Lenox Ave. The New York Hotel Trades Council Harlem Health Center, 133 Morningside Ave. Wharton Properties, 100 W. 125th St. (three of eight towers) Overall, the following ZIP codes have been affected in Harlem: 10027, 10030, 10035, 10037 and 10039. 'We are continuing to urge all New Yorkers who live or work in the identified ZIP codes in central Harlem who have flu-like symptoms to contact a health care provider immediately,' Morse said. 'New Yorkers should know the air is safe to breathe, and we are seeing declining numbers of new cases each day,' New York City Mayor Eric Adams told the media. 'I want to thank the health workers who worked tirelessly to treat this community and make sure its residents are healthy.' What is Legionnaires' disease? It's a serious type of pneumonia, a lung infection, that is caused by Legionella bacteria. People can become sick from inhaling water vapor that's contaminated with Legionella bacteria. Less commonly, a person can get sick when water contaminated with the bacteria accidentally enters the lungs by aspiration. How does it spread? In general, Legionnaires' is not transmitted from person to person. Legionella can grow and spread in human-made water systems like showerheads and sink faucets, hot tubs, decorative fountains, complex and large plumbing systems and cooling towers, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. There are also factors that make it easier for Legionella to grow and survive in water, including: Biofilm, which is slime that enables germs to grow Temperatures from 77 degrees to 113 degrees Fahrenheit Not having enough disinfectant Slow or no water movement (read more from the CDC about how to prevent waterborne germs while away from your home) What are the symptoms of Legionnaires' disease? Symptoms usually appear in a person within two to 14 days after they've been exposed to the bacteria, the CDC says. Symptoms can be similar to other types of pneumonia, such as: Headache Muscle aches Shortness of breath Cough Fever Other symptoms can include confusion, diarrhea or nausea. Who is at risk of getting sick? Most healthy people exposed to Legionella don't become ill, according to the CDC's website. However, the following people are at increased risk of getting sick from the bacteria: People 50 years and older Current or former smokers People with specific health issues or conditions, like cancer, chronic lung disease, diabetes, kidney failure, liver failure and a weak immune system Diagnosis and treatment A chest X-ray can confirm if a person has pneumonia. But additional tests are needed to confirm if Legionella bacteria is the cause behind it, such as a urine test, or a lab test involving a sample from phlegm (sputum) or lung lavage (lung washing), according to the CDC. The disease is treatable with antibiotics, but hospital care is often needed.
Yahoo
2 days ago
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NYC Legionnaires' disease cluster grows to 99 cases, 4 deaths
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2 days ago
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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
