After more than 100 cases and seven reported deaths, the NYC Health Department announced Friday that it had closed its investigation into a Central Harlem cluster of Legionnaires’ Disease.
“The last day that New Yorkers who live or work in the area began feeling symptoms of Legionnaires’ disease was August 9,” said the department. It added that people who live in Harlem’s 10027, 10030, 10035, 10037, and 10039 zip codes are no longer at risk of acquiring the Legionnaires’, a type of pneumonia caused by the Legionella bacteria found in warm water.
Overall, there were 114 confirmed cases, 90 hospitalizations and seven deaths related to the cluster outbreak. NYC Health’s investigation involved testing cooling waters from towers in the investigation zone. This testing found two towers with samples that matched the bacteria strain.
“Both buildings have complied with all directives from the Health Department and are working with the Health Department on their long-term management programs,” the department said. “The Health Department is undergoing a full review of the city’s cooling tower rules to further strengthen city regulations.”
1010 WINS reported this morning that Harlem Hospital and a construction site were identified as the source of the bacteria. It also noted that a lawsuit has been filed over the outbreak.
“Today marks three weeks since someone with symptoms was identified, which means New Yorkers should be able to breathe a sigh of relief that residents and visitors to Central Harlem are no longer at an increased risk of contracting Legionnaires’ disease – but our job here is not done,” said Mayor Eric Adams. “We must ensure that we learn from this and implement new steps to improve our detection and response to future clusters, because public safety is at the heart of everything we do, and we will never stop working to protect New Yorkers.