The Legionnaires’ disease outbreak on the Upper East Side (UES) continues to sicken more New Yorkers, as the city reported 28 patients infected with the contagion as of Wednesday morning while announcing new measures to address the public health concern.
Of the total cases, 21 of the 28 infected patients have been hospitalized. There have been no deaths, according to city officials, though the disease can be fatal. Seven people died in Harlem after an outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease struck the neighborhood last year.
The affected areas in the recent outbreak remain contained in ZIP codes 10028, 10128, and 10075 in Carnegie Hill, Yorkville, and Lenox Hill on the UES.
How is the city responding?
Mayor Zohran Mamdani and NYC Health Department officials said on Tuesday night they are taking “aggressive action” to address the public health concern.
Specifically, the mayor said in an “unprecedented step,” he will release the addresses of all buildings whose cooling towers test positive for Legionella during the initial screening process.
“When there’s a public health threat, New Yorkers deserve urgency and transparency from their government,” Mamdani said. “That’s why we’re using every tool available to protect people by moving quickly to identify potential sources of exposure, requiring immediate remediation and making sure New Yorkers have the information they need to keep themselves and their families safe.”
The health department will release the addresses of all buildings whose cooling towers test positive on the initial screening test as results become available, officials said.
Right now, it is unclear how the mayor will release the addresses. However, buildings with positive initial tests will be ordered to drain, clean, and disinfect their cooling towers to reduce the risk of further exposure, the mayor explained.
City Health Commissioner Dr. Alister Martin, MD, said his staff has been working “nonstop” since the disease appeared in what officials call a “community cluster” on July 2.
“More than 100 NYC Health Department staff members have worked nonstop since the start of this cluster as we take aggressive action to ensure that we are cutting off the source of exposure as quickly as possible,” Martin said.
The UES has a high concentration of cooling towers — more than three times the number tested during last year’s Harlem investigation. As of July 6, approximately 160 cooling towers are registered within the three ZIP codes under investigation, though not all are operating or located within the investigation zone, city officials explained.
Health department staff collected samples from 139 towers as of July 6.
What precautions should New Yorkers take?
Symptoms of Legionnaires’ disease, which is a type of pneumonia, include fever, chills, muscle aches and cough. People get sick when they breathe in Legionella bacteria that are spread through the air from mist produced by cooling towers. Symptoms typically develop two to 14 days after exposure.
Doctors urge New Yorkers, especially those living on the UES, to stay informed about public health alerts. The NYC Health Department has been posting alerts about the outbreak, as well as other pertinent safety information, on its website at nyc.gov.
“Since Legionella bacteria is spread through inhaling contaminated water, not person to person, New Yorkers on the Upper East Side, where the outbreak is concentrated, should pay close attention to public health alerts and be aware of contaminated areas,” Daniel Knecht, MD, chief medical officer at EmblemHealth, told amNewYork.
The health department said it is safe to use air conditioners, cooling centers, and other city facilities in the affected areas, as well as shower and drink tap water. Officials noted that cooling tower mist stays outdoors and does not affect indoor air conditioning, window units or building plumbing.
Adults 50 and older, smokers and people with chronic lung disease or weakened immune systems face the highest risk.
