Legionnaire’s disease NYC outbreak leaves 7 dead

An outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease has left seven dead in the South Bronx, and with an incubation period of around 10 days, the number may yet rise.

As of Monday, 81 cases of the disease have been reported in the area, leaving officials scrambling to find the source. Legionnaires’ itself is a form of pneumonia caused by bacteria known as Legionella. These bacteria are not transmitted by contact between humans, but instead through water—specifically via inhalation of infected mist.

Once the water is inhaled, it generally takes around two to ten days for the disease to set in, at which point arise symptoms like those of the flu: high fever, chills, fatigue, and muscle aches. It’s usually easily treatable with antibiotics but can be fatal, especially in people who are older, who smoke, who have a chronic lung disease, or who are immunocompromised.

So far, all seven of the victims were older adults with underlying medical conditions, according to the office of Mayor Bill de Blasio.

Baby, now we’ve got bad blood

New York City officials believe they have traced the sources of the infected water to five water-cooling towers used to cool heating and electrical systems in area buildings. The water from the towers is completely separate from bathing and drinking water.

“The New York City water supply does not pose a risk, so people should continue to feel confident in drinking tap water to stay cool during this period of hot weather,” said Dr. Mary Bassett, commissioner of the health department, to CNN.

All five towers have been disinfected, but the possible incubation window is still open for the nearly 50,000 residents in the area. While they wait out the last possible victims, many residents have begun wondering how the water towers became contaminated in the first place.

“Why, instead of doing a good job responding, don’t we do a good job proactively inspecting?” asked Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr.

Mayor de Blasio’s office issued a statement that seemed to agree. “This week, new legislation will be announced designed to halt future outbreaks of Legionnaires’, and place new emphasis on long-term prevention. The comprehensive package will address inspections, new recommended action in the case of positive tests, and sanctions for those who fail to comply with new standards. Legionnaires’ Disease [sic] outbreaks have become far too common over the past ten years, and the City will respond not by only addressing an outbreak as it occurs, but with a new plan to help prevent these outbreaks from happening in the first place.”

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