Legionella, the bacteria that causes the disease, can be found naturally in creeks, ponds, hot water tanks, air conditioning cooling towers and condensers.
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New York officials expect by Sunday to complete a city-ordered cleaning of cooling towers in the South Bronx that were tied to an outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease that has killed 10 people, Mayor Bill de Blasio told reporters on Saturday.
“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.
“Today we’re putting boots on the ground to safeguard the public health and bolster the confidence of a hard-hit community”, Cuomo said.
Legionnaries is caused by breathing in mist that is contaminated by a certain bacteria.
Anybody who is experiencing cough, chills, fever and muscle aches are advised to seek medical attention, as advised by the New York Department of Health.
“We will continue to be vigilant on all fronts, ensuring the health and safety of New Yorkers by both addressing Legionnaires’ at its source, and ensuring affected New Yorkers who need it are getting proper treatment”, said Mayor de Blasio.
Owners, operators and managers of private buildings with cooling towers or units could get free testing for Legionella bacteria through October.
And another person stricken with the disease, 36-year-old Marvin Montgomery, plans to sue the city for compensation-family members of another victim, 68-year-old Carmelo Quiles, say city officials should have paid for medical and funeral expenses. State officials have said they’ll pay for the testing.
The outbreak’s ground zero remained to be the South Bronx, as 10 buildings from the area have now been tested positive with the bacteria. Albany County had an outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease at the end of 2011.
Later in the press conference, NYC Health Commissioner Dr. Mary Bassett said that this was the worst outbreak of Legionnaires’ in the city’s history.
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The disease takes its name from its first outbreak, in 1976, at a Philadelphia hotel where a meeting of the American Legion society was being held. Symptoms of the disease also include headache, fatigue, loss of appetite, confusion and diarrhea.
