One person is dead, and over 20 others have fallen ill after a new Legionnaires’ outbreak in New York City, health officials say.
The disease – a type of severe pneumonia that grows in warm water – was first detected last week in Harlem, the New York City Health Department said on Wednesday.
Legionnaires is contracted by breathing in mist containing Legionella bacteria, which come from freshwater environments, like lakes and streams.
The potentially fatal disease causes lung failure. It causes death in 1 of every 10 cases.
About 1 out of every 10 people who fall ill with the disease will die due to complications from their illness. Legionnaires is proven to be more dangerous to those who contract it during a hospital stay, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Symptoms can strike anywhere from 2 to 14 days after a person has been exposed to the bacteria.
Patients can expect typical pneumonia-like symptoms, including a cough, fever, headaches, muscle aches, and shortness of breath. In some cases, infected people can also experience confusion, diarrhea, or nausea.
Cooling towers – large heat exchangers in industrial areas – operating in the impacted zone have been sampled, and the health department has informed owners of the buildings where positive results were found to initiate remediation within a day.
Anyone who was in the impacted area since late July and has experienced flu-like symptoms should seek medical attention immediately, said the health department.
“It is especially important for people at higher risk – including those ages 50 and older, cigarette smokers, and people with chronic lung disease or compromised immune systems – to get care if they have symptoms,” NYC officials said.
Legionnaires cannot be spread from person to person. The disease grows in conditions such as cooling towers, whirlpool spas, hot tubs, humidifiers, hot water tanks, and condensers of large air-conditioning systems.
It can even be found in the windshield wiper fluid tank of a vehicle, according to the CDC.
Health officials say that cases from the disease cluster have been found in five Harlem ZIP codes: 10027, 10030, 10035, 10037, and 10039, along with the bordering communities.
No details were available for the patient who died.
