67 infected as cooling tower tests expand
A Legionnaires’ disease outbreak that has sickened at least 67 people on Manhattan’s Upper East Side claimed its first fatality Friday, health officials said.
Officials did not release additional information about the person’s identity, age, or details on when and how they fell ill.
The outbreak, which the city began tracking on July 2 after two people were infected in the area, has hospitalized dozens of people, according to city health department data cited by the Guardian. Investigators have not pinpointed the source. Much of the scrutiny has focused on the air-conditioning cooling towers atop many large buildings, which can release water vapor carrying the bacteria, officials said.
The health department reported that tests have identified either living or dead Legionella bacteria — the microorganisms that cause the disease — in cooling towers on more than 75 Upper East Side buildings. The list includes the Guggenheim Museum, private schools, and apartment buildings. The city ordered all affected buildings to clean, drain, and disinfect their cooling towers, although it remained unclear which, if any, of the systems contributed to the outbreak.
Legionnaires’ disease is a treatable form of pneumonia caused by Legionella bacteria, which grow in warm water. People typically contract the disease by inhaling tiny droplets of contaminated water vapor from sources such as cooling towers, hot tubs, and large plumbing systems. The disease kills about 10 percent of people who contract it and does not spread from person to person, according to the CDC. A 2025 outbreak in Harlem killed seven people.