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At Least 23 Cases of Legionnaires' Disease in NYC's Upper East
Health officials say the outbreak is likely linked to a contaminated cooling tower and that more cases are expected as testing expands.
NYC health officials confirmed 14 cases of Legionnaires' disease on the Upper East Side as of Saturday, expanding the investigation across ZIP codes 10028, 10128, and 10075 following reports that began Thursday.
Cooling towers likely released contaminated mist containing Legionella bacteria, as people contract the pneumonia by inhaling water vapor rather than through person-to-person transmission.
NYC Health Commissioner Dr. Alister Martin advises New Yorkers aged 50 and older with flu-like symptoms to seek immediate medical care, extending warnings to anyone who visited the east side of Central Park since late June.
The NYC Health Department is actively sampling all cooling tower systems in the affected area, requiring building owners with positive Legionella tests to conduct full remediation of their systems.
While no deaths have been linked to this cluster, city officials remain vigilant following last year's Harlem outbreak, which killed seven people and hospitalized 90 New Yorkers.