Drugmaker GlaxoSmithKline plans to resume operations at a North Carolina plant that closed after discovery of bacteria that cause Legionnaires’ disease, a potentially fatal form of pneumonia.
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12 people had died of Legionnaires’ disease in the South Bronx amid the largest outbreak the city has experienced in its history.
In the second report, the researchers said Legionella bacteria caused 15 of 18 outbreaks and 10 deaths associated with environmental or undetermined water exposures in 2011-2012. The unparalleled outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease in the South Bronx this summer, and other outbreaks across the state, have posed new challenges which government must respond to rapidly.
New York-Presbyterian/Queens said it has limited cases of Legionnaires’ disease, typically in the warmer months.
(AP Photo/Mary Altaffer). Dr. Mary Bassett, New York city’s health commissioner, speaks during a news conference to provide an update of the Legionnaires’ disease outbreak, Saturday, August 8, 2015, in New York.
Officials said it would take more time and testing to figure out where the disease came from. The regulations, now being drafted by the governor’s office, mayor’s office and City Council representatives, will mandate the timeframes and the processes for maintenance and testing of cooling towers, fines for failure to comply and a statewide registry.
As of today, a total of 11 sites have tested positive for legionella within the impact zone.
The city first said cooling towers were the likely source of the outbreak on July 30, when officials identified five contaminated sites.
She said the elderly or immune suppressed are at risk. Though it is not clear if the worker got the bacteria at work, the company chose to be on the safe side shutting down the plant while officials inspected and cleaned the cooling system and hot tubes. This action reflects our chief priority: “to safeguard the health of New Yorkers“.
“We do expect to see Legionnaires in the city”, said Dr. Marci Layton, a Health Department assistant commissioner, at the briefing.
Bronxites have contracted Legionnaries’ disease by inhaling the air distributed by cooling towers.
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“We need all hands on deck, and getting help from the CDC is a huge step in combating this disease that is hurting the south Bronx”, said Borough President Ruben Diaz, Jr.
