New Legionella Cluster Reported in NYC

As legionella outbreaks continue to be an issue throughout the New York, New York City health officials are investigating a cluster of Legionnaires’ disease in the same Manhattan neighborhood where more than 20 people were infected with the disease in July. The Health Department said that eight people in lower Washington Heights have been hospitalized for Legionnaires’ in the past five days. None of them have died.

A cooling tower in the Sugar Hill residential development was identified as the source of the Legionnaires’ cluster in the same area in July. The Health Department says it has directed building management to clean and disinfect the tower again.

Legionnaires’ disease is contracted by breathing in water droplets contaminated with the bacterium Legionella. Symptoms can include fever, chills and muscle aches. The July Legionnaires’ cluster was blamed for one death.

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