Menin Blames Mamdani for 5 Legionnaires' Deaths as NYC Says 82-Case Outbreak Is Fading
Updated
Updated · WABC-TV · Jul 22
Menin Blames Mamdani for 5 Legionnaires' Deaths as NYC Says 82-Case Outbreak Is Fading
3 articles · Updated · WABC-TV · Jul 22
Summary
Five people have died and 82 have been sickened in the Upper East Side Legionnaires' outbreak, prompting City Council Speaker Julie Menin to accuse Mayor Zohran Mamdani's administration of moving too slowly.
Menin said she repeatedly urged the Health Department to disinfect cooling towers across the affected area, arguing that delays in remediation let the crisis spread and reflected weak leadership and poor transparency.
Mamdani defended what he called the city's most aggressive Legionella response, saying no new symptoms have been reported in more than 10 days and no new diagnoses in a week, suggesting the outbreak is likely over.
Health Commissioner Alister Martin said blanket early biocide treatment would have degraded towers and undermined sampling needed to identify the source, which officials still have not pinpointed.
Eight patients remain hospitalized, while city data shows 70% of cooling-tower inspections since 2017 found violations, underscoring broader concerns as the investigation continues.