Four dead in New York City outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease

Four people in the New York Harlem district died of a legionaries’ disease epidemic, a form of aggressive and potentially fatal pneumonia.

The city has seen 99 confirmed cases with 17 people in hospital with infection, according to the New York Ministry of Health.

The authorities retraced the epidemic at 12 towers of 10 buildings where bacteria were growing, including in a hospital and a health clinic.

Eleven of the 12 towers of cooling underwent sanitation efforts, and the last one should be fixed on Friday, according to the mayor of New York, Eric Adams.

Legionaries’ disease is relatively rare, with less than 18,000 people hospitalized in the United States each year, according to the Medical Research Center Cleveland Clinic.

The transmission does not occur from contact from person to person, but rather by mist in the air. Legionella bacteria grow in standing and hot water, like water that accumulates at the bottom of the building’s cooling towers.

The risk of serious complications of the disease, including pulmonary insufficiency and death, is the highest for people aged 50 and for smokers.

During a press conference on Thursday, Adams insisted that the “situation is under control”.

“I want to reassure everyone that the air is sure to breathe and there is no risk for our drinking water or our water supply,” he said.

The towers are located everywhere in Harlem, which is located in Upper Manhattan, including at the City University of New York Building and the Harlem Hospital Center.

City health officials urge anyone to consult a doctor.

“Now is not the time to say:” Allow me to go to the grocery store and get a ginger beer and go to bed somewhere, “said Harlem municipal council, Yusef Salaam at a press conference last week. “It’s time for you to actually go and get a doctor. It’s how serious it is.”