The New York City Health Department has launched a probe into a concerning cluster of Legionnaires’ disease cases along the Upper East Side — with officials trying to track down the source of the outbreak.
Two people have been diagnosed with the potentially fatal pneumonia-like illness in the neighborhoods of Carnegie Hill and Yorkville as of Thursday, with possible additional cases pending test results, according to the health department.
Authorities are asking New Yorkers who have lived, worked or visited the Upper East Side nabes since late June to contact their healthcare provider if they develop flu-like symptoms, including fever, cough or difficulty breathing.
If it is not treated in a timely manner, Legionnaire’s disease can be fatal. The virus is not contagious, however, and can be treated with antibiotics, the department said.
People 50 and older, cigarette smokers and people with chronic lung disease or who are immunocompromised immune systems are at an increased risk of contracting the disease.
The disease is typically transmitted through water supplies contaminated with Legionella bacteria, which can pop up in plumbing systems and find favorable conditions in cooling towers, whirlpool spas, hot tubs, humidifiers and condensers in large air conditioning systems.
Health officials investigating the outbreak will begin sampling and testing all cooling towers in the area. If any cooling towers test positive for Legionella bacteria, building owners will be forced to conduct a full remediation.
A Legionnaires outbreak gripped Harlem last summer, sickening 114 people, resulting in 90 hospitalizations and seven deaths.
The Rev. Al Sharpton and lawyer Ben Crump previously claimed that up to 20 people — or nearly three times the official count — may have died during that outbreak due to misdiagnoses.
There have been no deaths associated with the current cluster of Legionnaires’ cases in Manhattan, according to health officials.
It is still safe to use air conditioners, cooling centers and city facilities, which are vital resources for city residents in the throes of an extreme heat wave this week.
Doctors have also been asked to remain alert and promptly report cases to the health department.
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