What Is Legionnaires' Disease? The Upper East Side Outbreak
Health officials said the likely source is a cooling tower, and they expect more cases as testing expands.
- New York City health officials reported 18 cases of Legionnaires' disease on Monday, expanding the investigation to include ZIP code 10075 alongside 10028 and 10128 on the Upper East Side.
- Health officials believe a contaminated cooling tower is the likely source, not building plumbing systems, and emphasize that tap water remains safe to use as the disease is not contagious.
- About 26% of cooling towers in the outbreak area lack 2026 testing records, while city employees have inspected just 1,306 of nearly 6,000 cooling towers citywide since the year began.
- New York City Health Commissioner Dr. Alister Martin said officials expect more cases as testing increases. "It's my expectation that we'll see more cases," Martin said, calling it the system working right.
- This cluster follows a deadly Harlem outbreak last summer that killed seven people, with the Mayo Clinic noting that those over 50, smokers, and individuals with weakened immune systems face higher risk.
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Learn about the Legionnaires' disease that New York investigates and why it analyzes water samples in Manhattan neighborhoods.
What Is Legionnaires' Disease? The Upper East Side Outbreak
If you've seen headlines about Legionnaires disease in recent weeks, you're not alone. As of July 6, 2026, health officials in New York City are investigating a cluster of Legionnaires disease cases on the Upper East Side, where authorities are sampling and testing water from all cooling tower systems in the area. The investigation comes amid a broader trend of rising incidence of the disease in the United States and other countries. (NYC Govern…
New York officials say water systems are safe after Legionnaires’ outbreak
New York City officials said that water systems were safe for drinking and showering after an outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease. The New York City Health Department put the total number of infected at 14 on Sunday, and it expanded the area of infection. The disease isn’t spread through person-to-person contact but rather the inhalation of...
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