One person has died in the ongoing outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, the health authorities announced on Friday.
So far, the outbreak, which was detected earlier this month, has infected 67 people, although the number of new cases has declined in the past week. This is the first death.
The health authorities did not provide the name of the person who died or any other information.
“I am saddened to report that one person has died in connection with the Legionnaires’ disease community cluster on the Upper East Side,” said Dr. Alister F. Martin, the city’s health commissioner, in a statement. “My deepest condolences are with their loved ones.”
Legionnaires’ disease is a severe form of pneumonia caused by bacteria that thrive in warm, stagnant water. In New York City, outbreaks are periodically caused by rooftop cooling towers — part of the air-conditioning and refrigeration systems that keep large New York City buildings cool in the summer. Fans that are part of the cooling towers can send water vapor into the air. Sometimes that water vapor is laden with Legionella bacteria — the pathogen that causes Legionnaires’ disease.
The vapor can drift into the streets below, where passers-by may inhale it. Those particles may pose little risk to someone in good health. But they can lead to severe pneumonia in older people and those with certain chronic underlying conditions. Those with Legionnaires’ disease often experience a high fever and a cough. A headache, chest pain and altered mental status are also among the symptoms.
In recent weeks, the health authorities have been testing cooling towers across several Upper East Side ZIP codes to determine which ones are teeming with Legionella bacteria and could be linked to the outbreak. The health authorities say further testing is needed to determine its source. Dozens of property owners have been ordered to drain and disinfect their buildings’ cooling towers in the meantime.
There are signs that the outbreak may be near its end. In early July, it was typical for five to 10 new cases to be diagnosed a day. New cases have declined significantly to about one a day.
Most of the 67 people infected in the outbreak were hospitalized and have since been discharged. But 12 patients remained hospitalized as of Thursday night, according to the health authorities.
The current outbreak is large, but not the worst one the city has seen in recent years. An outbreak in central Harlem last summer killed seven people and left more than 100 sick.
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