{"id":5881,"date":"2026-07-14T22:36:55","date_gmt":"2026-07-14T22:36:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/?p=5881"},"modified":"2026-07-14T22:36:55","modified_gmt":"2026-07-14T22:36:55","slug":"dozens-of-new-york-cooling-towers-test-positive-for-legionnaires-bacteria-as-outbreak-reaches-60-cases","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/?p=5881","title":{"rendered":"Dozens of New York cooling towers test positive for Legionnaires\u2019 bacteria as outbreak reaches 60 cases"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\n New York City is managing a community cluster of Legionnaires\u2019 disease cases on the Upper East Side that officials believe is tied to bacteria found in cooling towers. Towers on 76 buildings on the Upper East Side have tested positive for the bacteria, the city\u2019s Department of Health and Mental Hygiene said Tuesday.\n <\/p>

Read more Trump administration ends attempt to freeze $10B in federal funds for blue states<\/a><\/p>\n

\n Pneumonia caused by Legionella bacteria has been confirmed in 60 people this month, but no deaths have been reported.\n <\/p>\n

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\nWhat is Legionnaires\u2019 disease and how many people does it affect?<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

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\n Fifteen people are now hospitalized, and 34 people have been discharged from the hospital. Generally, about 1 in 10 people who get Legionnaires\u2019 disease will die, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention\n<\/p>\n

\n Cooling towers, used for refrigeration and general building cooling, expel building heat into the atmosphere by pulling outside air through warm water from a central chiller that gets sprayed over a fill material. As fans pull air through the water, a small amount evaporates, cooling the remaining water, which recirculates to take up more heat. People can get sick when they are exposed to vapor from those systems if there\u2019s bacteria in it. Studies show that cooling towers and other warm, wet environments like hot tubs, spas and some plumbing systems are particularly vulnerable to Legionella bacteria.\n <\/p>\n

\n New York sees hundreds of Legionnaires\u2019 cases every year, but officials have noticed a spike in cases clustered in three particular ZIP codes: 10128, 10028 and 10075. Anyone who has been in that area in the past couple of weeks is advised to watch for symptoms such as fever, chills, fatigue, headaches, low appetite, confusion and diarrhea.\n <\/p>\n

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\nSuperbugs Could Kill Millions. Here\u2019s How We Stop Them. | Chasing Life with Dr. Sanjay Gupta | CNN Audio<\/span>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n

\n Most people who are exposed to Legionella bacteria don\u2019t get sick at all, but vulnerable groups can include people who are over 50, who vape or smoke, or who have weakened immune systems or underlying health conditions like diabetes or lung disease. There is no vaccine or medicine to prevent it, and masks don\u2019t seem to offer protection, the New York health department said. Treatment involves antibiotics and sometimes oxygen therapy or intensive care.\n <\/p>\n

\n The department has tested 183 cooling towers identified as a potential source of bacteria in the affected ZIP codes and directed the owners of 76 buildings to drain, clean and disinfect those towers.\n <\/p>

Read more House passes bill to make Daylight Saving Time permanent<\/a><\/p>\n

\n Dr. Alistair Martin, commissioner of the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, said Tuesday that owners of 57 buildings have confirmed that they\u2019ve completed the required remediation. The remaining 19 are required to do so by Thursday.\n <\/p>\n

\n \u201cSeventy-six buildings we know is a significant number, but we knew that that list would be long. There\u2019s a high concentration of cooling towers in the Upper East Side,and our initial screening tests cast a wide net,\u201d Martin said at a news conference Tuesday. \u201cThese results are also indicative of just how common Legionella is in our builtenvironment, and that\u2019s why we stay vigilant.\u201d\n <\/p>\n

\n Public health officials noted that this particular cluster of cases is not connected to drinking water, showers or air conditioners.\n <\/p>\n

\n Legionnaires\u2019 disease is not contagious, and it can be managed if people are given antibiotics early in the course of the disease.\n <\/p>\n

\n The rate of cases seems to be slowing, but more illnesses could still pop up. The incubation period is two to 14 days, so people may not know yet if they are sick.\n <\/p>\n

\n The city says it will do additional tests to try to pinpoint exactly where the outbreak started and to distinguish between live and dead bacteria, which the initial tests can\u2019t do. Those tests can take several weeks.\n <\/p>\n

\n \u201cWe did not wait, nor will we wait, for confirmatory testing, which could take weeks of the bacterial culture. We don\u2019t have time for weeks,\u201d Martin said at a town hall meeting Monday. \u201cThat aggressive posture and not waiting for the bacterial culture result we thought was incredibly important to take this potential offending bacteria off the map.\u201d\n <\/p>

Read more Inside the 24-hour sprint to convince Trump to drop his plans to toll Strait of Hormuz<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

New York City is managing a community cluster of Legionnaires\u2019 disease cases on the Upper East Side that officials believe is tied to bacteria found in cooling towers. 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