“We expect building owners to be responsible for cleaning and maintaining their cooling towers and we intend to hold them responsible for the spread of any disease”, Mayor Bill de Blasio said in a statement.
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With an outbreak of Legionnaires’ Disease affecting some New York City communities, Jefferson County health officials say they are monitoring the situation and locals need not be concerned.
Since July 10, the outbreak has been concentrated in the South Bronx neighborhood, which is one of the poorest in the United States.
State officials are coming to the South Bronx this weekend to assist in the testing of cooling towers for the deadly Legionella bacteria, according to Gov. Cuomo.
“This is an intensive, coordinated operation to protect the public health.”, Dr. Howard Zucker, commissioner of the New York State Department of Health said.
The good news is that health officials have responded quickly and effectively to contain the outbreak.
A Brunswick woman who died Thursday at University Hospitals Case Medical Center is a victim of Legionnaires’ disease, a hospital spokeswoman confirmed.
While the city has moved to regulate many other overlooked aspects of its infrastructure over the past few years, cooling towers are one of the final unregulated systems that have escaped attention.
“A complete registry with every building in the city equipped with a cooling tower will be prepared”.
Both the Mayor and State Health Commissioner say they believe the outbreak has peaked.
New York City officials announced that the outbreak may have been from the commercial cooling towers on roofs and buildings. “We’ve never seen an outbreak of Legionnaires like this in the city”, he told reporters. “The comprehensive package will address inspections, new recommended action in the case of positive tests, and sanctions for those who fail to comply with new standards”.
A total of ten people had already lost their lives in the largest outbreak of the disease in the city’s history.
Teams led by state officials will begin collecting samples Saturday in the crisis that is now in its fourth week – with 10 reported fatalities. Symptoms are very similar to pneumonia: shortness of breath, chills, chest pains and high fever.
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Patients depart from Lincoln Medical Center where a cooling tower has been tested and disinfected fo …
