4th person dies after a Legionnaires’ disease outbreak sickens dozens in New York
New York – A fourth person died in connection with an epidemic of legionaries in New York, health officials revealed on Thursday because they revealed that certain cooling towers that were tested positive for bacteria are in the buildings managed by the city.
The epidemic in the center of Harlem has done dozens of dozens since its beginning at the end of July. Seventeen people were hospitalized Thursday, according to the Department of Health.
Bacteria that causes legionaries to have been discovered in 12 towers of 10 buildings, including a hospital managed by the city and a sexual health clinic, said health officials. The correction efforts were completed out of 11 of the cooling laps, the remediation of the final tower which must be completed on Friday.
Legionaries’ disease is a type of pneumonia caused by Legionella bacteria, which develop in lukewarm water and spread through construction water systems. The city’s epidemic has been linked to cooling towers, which use water and a fan to cool the buildings.
People generally develop symptoms – cough, fever, headache, muscle pain and shortness of breath – between two days and two weeks after exposure to bacteria, according to the centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Dr. Michelle Morse, the interim health commissioner of the city, said that new cases in the Harlem central epidemic began to refuse “which indicates that the sources of bacteria have been contained”. She has urged people who live or work in the region to contact a health care provider if they develop pseudo-Grippal symptoms.
