One person dies amid legionnaires’ disease outbreak in New York City | New York


A legionnaires’ disease outbreak that has sickened dozens of people in New York City has claimed its first life, health officials said Friday.

Officials didn’t release additional information about the person’s identity, age or details on when and how they fell ill.

Investigators are still trying to pinpoint the source of the outbreak on Manhattan’s Upper East Side that has infected at least 67 people and hospitalized dozens, according to city health department data. Much of the scrutiny has focused on the air-conditioning systems atop many large buildings, which can release water vapor carrying the bacteria.

Legionnaires’ disease, a form of pneumonia, is treatable but kills about 10% of patients, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Last year, seven people died and more than 100 were sickened during an outbreak in New York’s Harlem neighborhood.

City officials began tracking the current outbreak on 2 July, after two people were infected in the area.

The city says tests have identified either living or dead Legionella bacteria – the microorganisms that cause the disease – in cooling towers on more than 75 Upper East Side buildings. They include prominent museums, private schools and pricey apartment houses.

It’s not yet clear which, if any, of them contributed to the outbreak, but all the buildings were ordered to clean, drain and disinfect the cooling towers, which are devices sometimes used to cool large buildings.

Legionella bacteria grow in warm water and can spread in cooling towers, hot tubs and showerheads. In many cases, people contract the disease by inhaling tiny droplets of contaminated water. Legionnaires’ disease doesn’t spread person to person.



Source link

  • Related Posts

    Paris and Berlin vow to align on tougher trade measures against China

    French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz to push for EU ‘safeguard’ trade measures Source link

    7 Americans Sent to Disputed Kenya Ebola Site After New Trump Travel Ban

    Seven American aid workers are being quarantined at a recently built U.S. facility on an air base in Kenya, their employer said on Friday. They are the first Americans to…

    Leave a Reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    You Missed

    Air Taxis Could Begin Flying From Orlando Airport “Later This Year,” Executive Says

    Air Taxis Could Begin Flying From Orlando Airport “Later This Year,” Executive Says

    Paris and Berlin vow to align on tougher trade measures against China

    Canada Gazette – Part I, October 14, 2023, volume 157, number 41

    CTV Vancouver parts ways with financial advisor ordered to halt trades, promotions

    CTV Vancouver parts ways with financial advisor ordered to halt trades, promotions

    Innu inquiry formal hearings draw to a close as parties give final submissions

    Innu inquiry formal hearings draw to a close as parties give final submissions

    ICE Is Using Data Broker Tools to ‘Identify Unaccompanied Minors’ and ‘Fraud’

    ICE Is Using Data Broker Tools to ‘Identify Unaccompanied Minors’ and ‘Fraud’