Second Fatality Reported in South Bronx Legionnaires’ Disease Outbreak
A second resident has died from Legionnaires’ disease linked to the ongoing South Bronx cluster, bringing the death toll to two.
NYC Health Commissioner Dr. Alister Martin announced that a second individual has died in connection with the Legionnaires’ disease cluster spreading through the South Bronx this summer. The outbreak has sickened at least 14 people, with 11 needing hospitalization and one still in care. Earlier testing found Legionella bacteria in ten cooling towers located in the Melrose and Morrisania areas, prompting immediate draining, cleaning, and disinfection of all positive towers.
Health department staff have engaged with over 1,700 community members, handed out more than 4,000 pamphlets, and contacted over 140 local organizations to raise awareness of symptoms and risk factors. Residents of ZIP codes 10451 and 10456 are urged to seek medical attention if they experience flu-like symptoms. Legionnaires’ disease, a severe form of pneumonia, is fatal in roughly one out of ten cases.
Why it matters
The death highlights ongoing public-health risks from contaminated cooling towers in densely populated neighborhoods.
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