One of the people in a new spate of Legionnaire’s disease cases in New York City has died, according to health officials Sept. 30.
Based on details released by the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, the patient was between ages 40 and 49 and suffered from “severe underlying health conditions.”
The number of individuals affected by the outbreak, found in the Morris Park section of the Bronx, has climbed to 13 from seven last Monday. Of those patients, 11 are hospitalized while one has been released.
A type of pneumonia, Legionnaire’s disease previously broke out in the South Bronx in July and August, killing 12 and afflicting more than 120. The outbreak, believed to be the worst in the city’s history, stemmed from vapor released from a contaminated cooling tower atop the Opera House Hotel.
The current outbreak – investigated by official teams that tested 35 cooling towers in the vicinity – is believed by health officials to be unrelated to the earlier cluster. In the cooling tower sampling, 15 tested positive for the bacterium and were ordered to be disinfected.
“As we monitor this situation, we urge anyone who feels sick to visit their doctor or a hospital to get checked,” said Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz, Jr.
Health Commissioner Dr. Mary Bassett clarified at the City Hall last Monday that identifying the recent cases as a cluster does not mean they know the origins of the infections – although “they are geographically linked.”
Bassett urged New Yorkers to seek treatments for fever, chills, headaches and body aches, difficulty breathing, and other flu-like symptoms. Those with underlying conditions are deemed most vulnerable to the disease.
Mayor Bill de Blasio signed this summer a law requiring owners of the buildings with the cooling towers to register them with the city and undergo regular cleaning and inspection. The water-cooling towers are used in some central air-conditioning systems.
Each year, about 200 to 300 cases of Legionnaire’s disease emerge in NYC, although the current Morris Park cluster and similar ones are considered rare.
