A sixth person has died from Legionnaires' disease in an outbreak on New York City's Upper East Side, health officials announced Tuesday. This death comes as no new cases have been reported in nearly two weeks, indicating a significant slowdown in the bacterial illness's spread.
City Council Speaker Julie Menin confirmed the latest fatality, expressing her condolences to the victim's family. "While there have been no new reported cases in nearly two weeks and the latest data suggests the outbreak has significantly slowed, every loss is a devastating reminder of the toll this outbreak has had on our community," Menin stated.
Since the outbreak began, a total of 90 people have been diagnosed with the pneumonia-like illness. The New York City Health Department reported that 77 cooling towers tested positive for Legionella bacteria after initial screenings began on July 2.
Several major city attractions, including The Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Guggenheim Museum, a Marriott Hotel, and All Souls Church, had cooling towers that tested positive for the bacteria. City officials mandated that all buildings with positive test results clean and disinfect their cooling systems as part of the investigation. These required remediation efforts were completed by July 16.
As of the latest announcement, six individuals remain hospitalized. Health officials had previously reported the fifth death from the outbreak last Tuesday.
Legionnaires' disease is a severe form of pneumonia that can be treated with antibiotics if detected early. Symptoms are typically flu-like. Individuals aged 50 and older, smokers, those with chronic heart, lung, kidney, or liver disease, diabetes, or compromised immune systems are at increased risk of complications from the illness.