New York investigates Upper East Side Legionnaires outbreak | JQJO

New York City health officials are investigating a Legionnaires' disease outbreak on the Upper East Side that has grown to 28 confirmed cases across three ZIP codes covering the neighborhoods of Carnegie Hill, Yorkville and Lenox Hill. About 75 percent of patients have required hospitalization, and officials say no deaths have been reported to date. The city started its investigation nearly a week ago, after detecting two cases on July 2 that indicated a potential community source of infection, and officials expect the case count to rise as additional testing and case-finding continue in the affected area.

New York City authorities say they believe the likely source of the outbreak is a cooling tower releasing mist containing Legionella bacteria, and they are testing every cooling tower within the three ZIP codes. Health Commissioner Dr. Alister Martin said more than one tower could be contributing to the cluster, and the city is examining over 160 towers, with remediation already underway at some sites. Officials plan to publish the addresses of any buildings whose cooling towers test positive in the initial screening. They stress that the outbreak is not linked to building plumbing systems, and residents can safely drink tap water, bathe, shower, cook and use home air conditioning, while anyone with flu-like or pneumonia-like symptoms is urged to seek medical attention.