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6d ago

Harlem Legionnaires’ Outbreak Hits 113 Cases, 6 Deaths; Bronx Cluster Deemed Unrelated

Genetic testing is underway to match patient samples to contaminated cooling towers following city remediation.

This 2009 colorized 8000X electron micrograph image provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows a large grouping of Gram-negative Legionella pneumophila bacteria.THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP-Janice Haney Carr
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The Parkchester North Condominium in Bronx, N.Y.
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Overview

  • City data show 113 confirmed infections and six fatalities in Central Harlem, with new diagnoses slowing and seven patients still hospitalized.
  • Officials detected Legionella in 12 cooling towers at 10 buildings, including Harlem Hospital, and say all have been disinfected as laboratories work to confirm the specific source.
  • Health authorities are evaluating Parkchester North and South condominiums in the Bronx for Legionella in hot water systems, reporting four cases in two buildings and advising residents on safer water use.
  • Cooling‑tower inspections in New York City fell to a post‑pandemic low amid staffing losses, drawing criticism from former health officials as lawsuits by workers and residents, including a filing by Ben Crump and Rev. Al Sharpton, allege negligence.
  • Public health officials in London, Ontario redeclared an outbreak after 25 new cases and reported a strain match to a Sofina Foods cooling tower, highlighting risks of bacterial regrowth despite prior cleaning.