Meanwhile, though the outbreak has been particularly virulent since July, the family of a Bronx man who died of Legionnaires’ disease in April says the city failed to investigate his death at the time, and may have been able to save more lives had they not ignored him.
Advertisement
That case, and two deaths from plague in Colorado, are making headlines, but the public should not be alarmed, according to health officials, NBC News reported.
All buildings with a cooling tower in NYC will be required to test their cooling towers for Legionella within the next 14 days – a service that the New York City Department of Health (DOH) will be offering for free.
The bacteria can thrive in warm water and become especially risky when the water is turned into a mist that can be inhaled.
The disease takes its name from its first outbreak, in 1976, at a Philadelphia hotel where a meeting of the American Legion, a veterans organization, was taking place.
Mary Bassett, the city Health Commissioner said the number of cooling towers in the city is still unclear, but there are nearly 2,500 that are mostly located in industrial and commercial settings. Between 8,000 to 18,000 people are reportedly infected with the disease in the U.S. annually. It’s caused by a bacteria that may be found in the water of cooling towers or air conditioners, and then spread through its mist.
“We are in the midst of the largest outbreak of Legionella that we’ve seen in the city and we want to know that all of the cooling towers in the city are in good maintenance”, she said.
Yes. Legionnaires’ disease can be treated effectively with antibiotics. During that news conference, de Blasio said the numbers were indicating that the peak had been reached and that fewer cases had been reported.
“Let’s be clear that Legionnaires’ disease has been a persistent health problem for years”.
The city’s last Legionnaires’ outbreak was also in the Bronx, where 12 people fell ill in December 2014. Officials said all 10 people who died had other complicating conditions. Five towers in the South Bronx tested positive for the bacteria and have since been decontaminated. Remediation was completed at each of the locations, all in the South Bronx. “That doesn’t mean they’re causing the outbreak”.
Advertisement
The state is offering free legionella testing for all eligible buildings.
