One person is dead and five others infected after a new outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease has hit the South Bronx, the city health department announced Thursday night.
The cases were reported in the Morrisania and Melrose neighborhoods, as health officials await “confirmatory results for other potential cases” and scramble to find the source of the outbreak.
“Our disease investigators have confirmed five cases of Legionnaires’ disease and are working quickly to identify and confirm any additional cases in the area,” said city Health Commissioner Dr. Alister F. Martin.
The health department plans to begin outreach in the affected Bronx nabes on Friday, including weekend town halls — and comes on the heels of the deadly bug killing 11 along the Upper East Side earlier this summer.
“I understand that New Yorkers may have heightened concerns following the recent Upper East Side cluster,” Martin pointed out in a statement.
“We are taking immediate action. Water ecologists have sampled all cooling towers in the affected area. Any cooling tower that tests positive will be directed to undergo full cleaning and disinfection immediately.”
The Mamdani administration was blasted for its slow response to the Upper East Side outbreak and efforts to identify its source.
There were 94 confirmed cases and nearly 80 people hospitalized during that outbreak, where dozens of water cooling towers atop buildings along the Upper East Side tested positive for Legionella bacteria.
Health officials said that cluster is no longer spreading, and Martin confirmed that none of the patients who contracted the disease during that outbreak remain in the hospital.
On Tuesday, city officials confirmed that an air-conditioning tower at the NYPD’s 112th Precinct in Queens tested positive for trace amounts of Legionella.
The amount was categorized as “Level 2” — low enough that it is unlikely to pose a danger and does not require occupant notification under state law, sources told The Post.
“At this time, no patients with confirmed Legionnaires’ disease have reported working at the 112th Precinct and there are no concerns for the public health or the NYPD’s workforce related to the cooling tower at this location,” a city Health Department rep said.
A deadly Harlem cluster also claimed the lives of seven last year, with a total of 114 cases and 90 hospitalizations, according to city data.
Grieving families and survivors filed a handful of lawsuits against city officials in August, including a wrongful death claim involving five of the seven people who died.
Legionnaires’ disease, a form of pneumonia, spreads when people inhale mist or tiny water droplets from water sources contaminated with Legionella bacteria, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The disease is fatal in about 1 in 10 diagnosed cases.
Symptoms can include fever, chills, muscle aches and cough.
It is considered safe to use air conditioners, drink tap water, and shower in the affected area unless otherwise advised by health officials.
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