4th person dies after a Legionnaires’ disease outbreak sickens dozens in New York City

Advertisement

Advertise with us

NEW YORK (AP) — A fourth person has died in connection with a Legionnaires’ disease outbreak in New York City, health officials disclosed Thursday as they revealed that some cooling towers that tested positive for the bacteria are in city-run buildings.

Read this article for free:

or

Already have an account? Log in here »

To continue reading, please subscribe:

Monthly Digital Subscription

$1 per week for 24 weeks*

  • Enjoy unlimited reading on winnipegfreepress.com
  • Read the E-Edition, our digital replica newspaper
  • Access News Break, our award-winning app
  • Play interactive puzzles

*Billed as $4.00 plus GST every four weeks. After 24 weeks, price increases to the regular rate of $19.95 plus GST every four weeks. Offer available to new and qualified returning subscribers only. Cancel any time.

Monthly Digital Subscription

$4.99/week*

  • Enjoy unlimited reading on winnipegfreepress.com
  • Read the E-Edition, our digital replica newspaper
  • Access News Break, our award-winning app
  • Play interactive puzzles

*Billed as $19.95 plus GST every four weeks. Cancel any time.

To continue reading, please subscribe:

Add Free Press access to your Brandon Sun subscription for only an additional

$1 for the first 4 weeks*

  • Enjoy unlimited reading on winnipegfreepress.com
  • Read the E-Edition, our digital replica newspaper
  • Access News Break, our award-winning app
  • Play interactive puzzles
Start now

No thanks

*Your next subscription payment will increase by $1.00 and you will be charged $16.99 plus GST for four weeks. After four weeks, your payment will increase to $23.99 plus GST every four weeks.

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 14/08/2025 (225 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

NEW YORK (AP) — A fourth person has died in connection with a Legionnaires’ disease outbreak in New York City, health officials disclosed Thursday as they revealed that some cooling towers that tested positive for the bacteria are in city-run buildings.

The outbreak in Central Harlem has sickened dozens since it began in late July. Seventeen people were hospitalized as of Thursday, according to the health department.

The bacteria that causes Legionnaires’ disease had been discovered in 12 cooling towers on 10 buildings, including a city-run hospital and sexual health clinic, health officials said. Remediation efforts have been completed on 11 of the cooling towers, with the final tower’s remediation required to be completed Friday.

FILE - This 1978 electron microscope image made available by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows Legionella pneumophila bacteria which are responsible for causing the pneumonic disease Legionnaires' disease. (Francis Chandler/CDC via AP, File)
FILE - This 1978 electron microscope image made available by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows Legionella pneumophila bacteria which are responsible for causing the pneumonic disease Legionnaires' disease. (Francis Chandler/CDC via AP, File)

Legionnaires’ disease is a type of pneumonia that is caused by Legionella bacteria, which grow in warm water and spread through building water systems. The city’s outbreak has been linked to cooling towers, which use water and a fan to cool buildings.

People usually develop symptoms — a cough, fever, headaches, muscle aches and shortness of breath — between two days to two weeks after exposure to the bacteria, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Dr. Michelle Morse, the city’s acting health commissioner, said new cases in the Central Harlem outbreak have begun to decline “which indicates that the sources of the bacteria have been contained.” She urged people who live or work in the area to contact a health care provider if they develop flu-like symptoms.

Report Error Submit a Tip