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4h ago

Harlem Legionnaires’ Outbreak Reaches 108 Cases, 5 Deaths as City Disinfects Cooling Towers

City regulators are moving to tighten cooling‑tower rules following the discovery of Legionella in 12 rooftop systems.

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Legionnaires' disease, which is not directly contagious from person to person, is caused by bacteria that can multiply in water and air conditioning systems
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Overview

  • New York City confirmed 108 cases and five deaths, with 14 people currently hospitalized, and officials said the latest fatality reflects an earlier death newly linked to the cluster.
  • All 12 cooling towers that tested positive across about 10 buildings have been drained, cleaned, and disinfected, and health officials say the outbreak is not related to building plumbing or tap water.
  • Cases are concentrated in five Central Harlem ZIP codes — 10027, 10030, 10035, 10037, and 10039 — and identified locations include Harlem Hospital and CUNY’s Marshak Science Building.
  • Officials report a decline in new cases, and laboratory culture and genetic testing are underway to match patient samples to environmental strains and determine which towers directly caused infections.
  • The city is pursuing stricter oversight of cooling towers, and a Gothamist analysis found most implicated sites were behind on required testing or had not been inspected in the past year.