Updated
Updated · Gothamist · Jul 19
Upper East Side Legionnaires' Outbreak Kills 3 and Sickens 74 as New Symptoms Stall
Updated
Updated · Gothamist · Jul 19

Upper East Side Legionnaires' Outbreak Kills 3 and Sickens 74 as New Symptoms Stall

3 articles · Updated · Gothamist · Jul 19

Summary

  • A third person has died in Manhattan’s Upper East Side outbreak, lifting the known toll to 3 as 74 people have been sickened.
  • Eight patients remained hospitalized and 51 had been discharged, while city health officials said they have not identified anyone with new symptoms in more than a week.
  • Positive cooling towers were cleaned and disinfected, and Health Commissioner Dr. Alister Martin said the exposure source has likely been eliminated.
  • The outbreak spans ZIP codes 10028, 10075 and 10128 in Carnegie Hill and Yorkville; symptoms can appear up to 14 days after exposure.
  • Legionnaires’ disease is a noncontagious pneumonia caused by inhaling Legionella-contaminated water vapor and is treatable with antibiotics.

Insights

Cooling towers are the main suspects, but could the real source of Legionnaires' disease be hiding deeper within city water systems?
With regulations failing to stop another deadly outbreak, is it time to end building owner self-certification for public safety?