A third person has died in the Upper East Side’s ongoing Legionnaires’ disease outbreak, New York City health officials said, even as the rate of new cases has significantly slowed and the source of the cluster is believed to have been eliminated.
The identity of the patient will not be made public out of respect for the family, Dr. Alister Martin, New York City Health commissioner said in a Sunday statement.
“Our hearts are with their family and friends as they mourn their loss,” Martin said.
The death is the third the city has announced in three days, with the first death in the cluster announced Friday.
City health officials have identified a total of 74 cases amid the outbreak, which was made public July 2, after two people were diagnosed with the disease. Eight patients remain hospitalized, 51 have been discharged and 12 did not require hospitalization, according to city statistics.
Despite the deaths, city officials have said cases are declining.
From July 10 through Friday, there was an average of fewer than one new case per day, down from an average of more than eight per day between July 2 and July 8, city officials said, adding that it has been more than a week since developed new symptoms, indicating no recent exposure. They also said emergency departments were showing no concerning trends.
The sustained decline in new cases indicates that the likely source of exposure has been eliminated, they said Saturday.
Investigators suspect the outbreak originated from a cooling tower contaminated with Legionella bacteria, which causes Legionnaires’ disease, though the specific tower has not been identified.
Officials tested 183 cooling-tower systems in the affected areas of Carnegie Hill and Yorkville, with initial screening detecting Legionella genetic material in towers at 76 buildings, which were ordered to drain, clean and disinfect their systems. The city said all had completed the required remediation by Thursday.
Legionnaires’ disease is a form of pneumonia caused by Legionella bacteria, which grow in warm water. Those who inhale water vapor that contains the bacteria can get sick with the disease, which causes flu-like symptoms. Most people exposed to the bacteria do not develop the disease. However, among those who do contract it, complications can be fatal.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, between 8,000 and 18,000 people are hospitalized with Legionnaires’ disease each year in the United States.
