Up to 10 dead, 100 diagnosed with Legionnaires’ disease in NYC

The mayor presented the updated figures at a news conference at Lincoln Hospital, saying that the current situation has likely already reached its peak and that cases will likely decline in the upcoming weeks.

“Today we’re putting boots on the ground to safeguard the public health and bolster the confidence of a hard-hit community”, Governor Cuomo said. The sluggish response from the city administration to the early signs of warning to this potential health issue has been even more dismaying.

Under Cuomo’s plan, any private business owner in the Bronx or anywhere else in New York State can ask state officials to have their cooling towers tested for Legionella bacteria contamination.

And it’s possible new cases will crop up still.

Owners of cooling towers have 14 days to comply with the order, which comes as 100 people have been reported sick with the disease, according to city health department figures.

Annual reported rates of Legionnaires’ disease or, legionellosis, increased 217 percent to 3,522 cases in 2009 from 1,110 in 2000, according to a 2011 report from the U.S. Centers of Disease Control and Prevention. “Testing has only been done in four neighborhoods”, Diaz said yesterday. Five out of seventeen towers have been tested positive, located in the following areas: Concourse Plaza, at a shopping plaza, Verizon office building, and at the Opera House Hotel.

Large cooling towers are much more susceptible to contamination with Legionella than air-conditioning systems in homes, Whalen said.

This micrograph depicted details seen in a lung tissue specimen from a patient with fatal pneumonia due to Legionnaires’ disease. It is not transmitted person-to-person, which fortunately has limited its spread.

Infections result from inhaling airborne droplets of contaminated water. It can cause fever, cough, difficulty breathing and other complications. Most cases can be treated successfully with antibiotics.

“Death is usually caused by respiratory failure”, Glatter said. They are most commonly found in creeks, ponds, hot water tanks and in water used in cooling units.

One person who fell ill to the disease, Marvin Montgomery who was on dialysis, has filed a notice of claims against the city for negligence.

“People should not be alarmed at this point”, Glatter said.

The number of similar cooling towers or data on their maintenance is not available though the number can run into several thousands.