Officials say more than 20 people are now hospitalized due to an outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease on the Upper East Side.
The cluster, which is being investigated by the NYC Health Department, is growing daily in the area.
Here’s what to know as of Friday, July 10.
Upper East Side Legionnaires’ disease cluster
The city health department is still investigating a community cluster in two neighborhoods on the Upper East Side, Carnegie Hill and Yorkville. The affected ZIP codes are: 10028, 10128, and 10075.
Officials stressed that residents can still carry out everyday activities with their own water supply, such as drinking tap water, bathing, cooking and using AC units at home.
People are at risk of getting Legionnaires’ disease if they breathe water vapor contaminated with bacteria. NYC Health writes on its website that if multiple people in a neighborhood become infected, a typical source would be a cooling tower, hot tub or spray fountain. City Comptroller Mark Levin said this current cluster of cases is from a contaminated cooling tower, not a water system. In another post, Levin said that “Labionella samples take two weeks or more to grow in the laboratory, so we will not immediately know the location of the contaminated towers.”
Legionnaires’ disease cases in NYC
As of late July 9, the Department of Health said there were 46 cases, of which 22 are currently hospitalized.
There have been zero deaths so far.
Symptoms of Legionnaires’ disease
People with symptoms living in the area are urged to seek medical attention immediately.
According to the Mayo Clinic, symptoms include:
- headache and muscle pain
- Fever
- cough and difficulty breathing
- chest pain
- nausea
- Confusion