The eight victims were all “older adults”, who had other medical problems as well as Legionnaires’, the authorities said.
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Another person has died from an outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease in New York City, bringing the death toll to eight.
Five towers in the area tested positive for legionella bacteria and have since been decontaminated. All five have since been cleared.
“People with underlying illnesses, including chronic lung disease, which can be asthma, can be emphysema, or chronic bronchitis, are people who are more at risk, so there is a higher underlying disease burden in the South Bronx”, health commissioner Bassett said.
All of those sites must submit long-term plans on protecting the cooling towers from any return of the bacteria.
New York’s drinking water supply has not been affected by Legionella, according to city health officials. Symptoms include fever, cough, headaches and muscle aches. But the most severe Legionnaire’s outbreak recorded in New York has passed its peak, mayor Bill de Blasio has said.
Building owners would be required to register the locations of cooling towers with the city.
The disease gets its name from an outbreak of pneumonia that killed 29 people attending an American Legion convention at a Philadelphia hotel in 1976. Quebec, Canada, instituted similar rules after a Legionnaires’ disease outbreak in Quebec City in 2012.
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“We are conducting a swift investigation to determine the source of the outbreak and prevent future cases”. Months later the cause was traced to the previously unknown bacteria.
