This text was initially posted August 19, 2025. It is going to be up to date as further information are reported.
The New York Metropolis Division of Well being and Psychological Hygiene reported a fifth demise as an outbreak of Legionnaires’ illness continues to plague town’s Harlem neighborhood.
The outbreak, which started in late July, has contaminated over 100 folks. As of August 18 information, 108 people have been contaminated, and 14 have been hospitalized.
A dozen cooling towers in Central Harlem examined optimistic for legionella micro organism, which “travels on the mist from a cooling tower exterior into the air, like smoke from a fireplace,” town well being division says.
All 12 towers have been handled and cleared, in response to the division: “Any cooling towers with preliminary optimistic outcomes for Legionella micro organism have accomplished the remedy required by the Well being Division,” the company mentioned in its 8/18 replace.
Based on the CDC, roughly 1-in-10 sufferers contaminated with Legionnaires’ illness die attributable to issues from their sickness, and that quantity will increase to 1-in-4 sufferers if an infection happens throughout a keep in a healthcare facility.
