VIRUS IN NYC Death toll rises to 4 in Legionnaires’ outbreak

A New York City health official is warning that more cases of the treatable pneumonia are expected to turn up over the next few days amid the outbreak that has sickened dozens of people.

All of the victims were older adults and had additional underlying medical problems, the sheet said. Deputy Health Commissioner Dr. Jay Varma said, “We think it is very possible that there will be an increase in cases over the next seven days”.

The legionella bacteria were discovered Friday at the Opera House Hotel in the Bronx.

According to hospital officials, fifty-five of the infected have been hospitalized.

The respiratory bacterial infection is spread through mist that comes from a water source, such as cooling towers, air conditioning or showers.

Last week, Lincoln Medical Center, the Concourse Plaza shopping center and Opera House Hotel tested positive for the disease. Twenty-two buildings have been searched, seventeen of them have cooling systems, and three of those buildings have tested positive for Legionella. Symptoms include the typical fever, chills, and cough.

Bronx residents have become anxious, as four people have succumbed to the illness and 65 others have been infected in the area since July 10.

Anywhere between 8,000 and 18,000 people throughout the US are hospitalized each year due to the disease, according to CDC statistics. The neighborhoods where these cases have been popping up-High Bridge, Morrisania, Mott Haven, and Hunts Point-have at least 15 affected cooling towers in the area, but the 31 individuals were not clustered in a single building or workplace.

“Legionella is usually a rarer cause of pneumonia”, Belinda Ostrowsky, MD, MPH, infectious disease attending physician and director of antibiotic stewardship at Montefiore Health System in the Bronx, added in an interview with Health. Symptoms of the disease also include headache, fatigue, loss of appetite, confusion and diarrhea.

While the bacteria are continuously spreading, it is important to be informed about Legionella and know what to do to prevent catching the disease.

“People have to understand that this is a disease that can be treated-and can be treated well if caught early”, de Blasio said, on Thursday. They are investigating the deaths and testing water from potential sources of the bacteria to find out where the outbreak has come from.

The Health Department urges anyone with symptoms to seek immediate medical attention.