Legionnaires’ disease outbreak kills one and infects others in the South Bronx

One person has died from legionnaires’ disease, and four more have been sickened in New York City amid a new cluster of cases only weeks after local health officials had declared a separate deadly Manhattan outbreak of the illness over.

On Thursday, New York City officials announced that their municipal health department launched an investigation into a community cluster in parts of Melrose and Morrisania in the South Bronx, including ZIP codes 10451 and 10456.

The health department said sampling of cooling towers in the area has been completed, with testing under way at the city’s public health laboratory.

Previous community clusters have been associated with Legionella spreading through mist produced by cooling towers, city officials said. Building owners whose cooling towers test positive are directed to drain, clean and disinfect them.

The department has also issued a health alert to providers, advising them to consider legionnaires’ disease when evaluating patients with compatible symptoms.

“Our disease investigators have confirmed five cases of Legionnaires’ disease and are working quickly to identify and confirm any additional cases in the area. Sadly, one person has died, and our deepest condolences are with their loved ones,” said a statement attributed to the city’s health commissioner, Alister F Martin.

“I understand that New Yorkers may have heightened concerns following the recent Upper East Side cluster,” Martin added. “We are taking immediate action.

“Community health workers will be canvassing the neighborhood. Anyone who lives, works, or has visited the affected area since late August and is experiencing flu-like symptoms should contact a health care provider as soon as possible.”

Legionnaires’ disease is a form of pneumonia caused by Legionella bacteria, which can grow in warm water, especially in human-made building water systems including showerheads and sink faucets, hot tubs, as well as large, complex plumbing systems and cooling towers, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Legionella bacteria can also grow in a vehicle’s windshield wiper fluid tank. The CDC warns that the bacteria are more likely to grow when the tank is filled with water rather than genuine windshield washer fluid.

People can become infected by breathing in contaminated water droplets or mist. Nevertheless, New York City health officials say it is safe to use air conditioners, drink tap water and shower unless otherwise advised.

Symptoms can include fever, chills, muscle aches and cough. The disease is not contagious and can be treated with antibiotics when caught early.

The South Bronx investigation marks the second community legionnaires’ disease cluster identified in New York City in recent months – after a cluster on Manhattan’s Upper East Side identified in July.

Multiple community clusters in one season have previously occurred in New York City, including two each in 2015, 2017 and 2018, and three in 2016, according to city officials.

The disease was named legionnaires’ after a 1976 outbreak of the sickness in Philadelphia, which largely affected people attending a convention of the American Legion, the war veterans’ nonprofit organization.