According to disease-death-confirmed-in-cleveland” target=”_blank”>reports, health officials from New York State are ordering extensive inspections of cooling facilities in an attempt to stop New York City’s outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease from spreading.
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Earlier this week, NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio said authorities have identified five cooling towers in the Bronx containing the disease, though it’s not clear if one or multiple are responsible for the outbreak.
The disease is mainly caused by air polluted by a certain bacteria and occurs when breathed in the smog.
Health commissioner Basset said on Thursday that all cooling towers in the city must be inspected and cleaned within the next two weeks.
De Blasio dismissed the criticism some have levied at his administration for being slow to initially react to the outbreak, and said the city was compiling a list of cooling towers citywide so it could respond more quickly to any future outbreak. Those reported to have died of the illness were older patients and those with pre-existing medical conditions, officials said.
Symptoms of Legionnaires’ disease include headache, fatigue, loss of appetite, confusion and diarrhea.
“Additionally, the New York City water supply does not pose a risk, so people should continue to feel confident in drinking tap water to stay cool during this period of hot weather”, she added.
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.
The New York Department of Health is offering free testing of the disease until October.
“Providing free testing should help restore the public’s confidence that government is taking every precaution possible”, Cuomo said in a statement. Failure to conform is a misdemeanor.
“While it’s clearly a severe outbreak in the Bronx, this is a statewide issue”, State Health Commissioner Howard Zucker said at a news conference.
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“It wasn’t that the city’s response was bad, just that there needed to be more action”, a source close to Diaz told the Daily News. Twenty-six buildings on the city’s list did not actually have cooling towers, de Blasio said. Several people have died.
