Legionnaires' disease-causing bacteria have been detected in 10 cooling towers in the South Bronx, including one near Yankee Stadium, New York City health officials announced Sunday. At least nine people have been diagnosed with the illness, resulting in one fatality and three hospitalizations, linked to a cluster in the area.
Investigators have ordered the 10 cooling towers to be drained, cleaned, and disinfected. Preliminary PCR testing identified Legionella bacteria at these sites, though officials cautioned that the presence of bacterial DNA does not confirm the towers as the source of the outbreak or indicate if the bacteria are alive and capable of causing illness.
The investigation was initiated on September 10 after Legionnaires' cases were reported in the Morrisania and Melrose neighborhoods. To date, 24 cooling towers have been tested as part of the probe.
Among the 10 sites undergoing further investigation are addresses at 820 Concourse Village West, 234 E. 149th St., 1 E. 161st St., 470 E. 161st St., 1265 Franklin Ave., 567 Melrose Ave., 3339 Park Ave., 1160 Teller Ave., 890 Washington Ave., and 1085 Washington Ave. The NYC Health + Hospitals/Lincoln medical facility is also among the locations being examined.
Health officials reported that eight of the cooling towers have complied with new testing requirements implemented on May 8, which mandate testing every 31 days. However, the towers at 820 Concourse Village West and 1265 Franklin Ave. failed to provide the required information.
This Bronx cluster follows a deadly outbreak on the Upper East Side earlier this summer, which resulted in 11 deaths. Legionnaires' disease is a severe form of pneumonia caused by Legionella bacteria, which spreads through inhaling contaminated water mist. Symptoms include fever, chills, muscle aches, and cough, with approximately 1 in 10 diagnosed cases proving fatal, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.