Earlier this month, a woman in her 90s living in the Upper East Side died after becoming ill with Legionnaires’ disease. Six others in the same area were diagnosed with the disease around the same time, and the only commonality between these individuals is the area in which they live. The source of the outbreak has not yet been identified. Health officials have been looking toward local cooling towers on buildings as the potential source of the outbreak, testing a total of 116 cooling towers in the Lenox Hill area. It is possible one of these local cooling towers contaminated…
The 23rd Precinct at 162 E. 102nd Street in East Harlem is the common workplace to two police officers that have been diagnosed with Legionnaires’ disease. The first officer fell ill with Legionnaires’ disease and was hospitalized, prompting testing of the precinct’s water. Those results were finalized earlier this month, and revealed traces of Legionella bacteria, the bacteria responsible for causing Legionnaires’ disease. The Health Department is reportedly investigating the second case of Legionnaires’ disease, but has not yet determined if the precinct’s water is responsible for this officer’s illness. Inspectors are looking towards the pipes at the station house as…
One person is dead and six others have been hospitalized due to their illness with Legionnaires’ disease over the past 11 days in the Lenox Hill neighborhood of Manhattan, New York. The woman who passed was in her 90s and reportedly had underlying health issues, says the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. The source of the outbreak is not yet known, but cooling systems within a half mile radius of those who have fallen ill are being tested as possible sources. The results from the 116 cooling systems under investigation may take up to two weeks. Legionnaires’ disease is caused…
Samples taken from the water system at Samaritan Medical Center in Watertown, New York tested positive for low levels of Legionella on May 8, 2017. The Legionella was found in the Pratt building, which is the oldest part of the hospital. It is believed that the infrequently used faucets, old pipes, and recent construction in this part of the facility may be the cause of the contaminated water. Spokeswoman Krista A. Kittle has stated that the facility has since replaced the valves and begun to flush the water lines daily. Legionella bacteria can cause respiratory illnesses such as Legionellosis and…
According to a lawsuit filed in Manhattan Supreme Court in Early April, four cancer patients staying at the Hope Lodge, an American Cancer Society facility that temporarily houses cancer patients, contracted Legionnaires Disease in early 2015. Of the four cases, Joan Pederson, a 62 year old brain cancer patient was the first and only recorded death associated with the outbreak. Pederson had to stop treatment for her brain cancer for weeks in order to receive treatment for her Legionnaires’ Disease. This outbreak was overshadowed by the much larger, concurrent Bronx outbreaks in which more than 100 people were affected, and…
St Elizabeth Medical Center in Utica, New York has found small amounts of legionella bacteria in a handful of sampling locations throughout the campus. The results have been reported to the New York State Department of Health, and the hospital is currently in the process of remediating the presence of legionella. The tests were conducted in accordance with New York state guidelines that require all hospitals within the state to routinely sample their facilities for the presence of legionella. These guidelines were implemented in mid-2016 in response to two deadly outbreaks of Legionnaires’ Disease in the Bronx that took the lives of…
Last month, famed environmental activist Erin Brockovich and the Alliance to Prevent Legionnaires’ Disease joined forces in Albany to draw attention to the continued rise of Legionnaires’ cases in New York even after the deadly 2014-2015 outbreaks in the Bronx. According to the report released by the Alliance to Prevent Legionnaires’ Disease, New York State leads the nation in Legionnaires’ cases. The report estimates that in 2016 14% of all U.S cases of Legionnaires’ Disease occurred in New York. The report states that the state’s regulatory focus on water cooling towers neglects what they consider to be the real problem. The…
The Kingsway nursing home in Schenectady, New York conducted routine and mandated testing for the presence of Legionella bacteria. On November 23, 2016, the results indicated that 30 percent of the water samples were positive for non-pneumonic Legionella. The facility flushed the pipes with scalding hot water (160 degrees) to kill off the bacteria momentarily while it arranges for a long-term solution. The strain of Legionella found at the facility is not typically responsible for Legionnaires’ disease, but could possibly cause pneumonia or other illnesses. New York State regulations require that nursing homes test their potable water and report results if…
Residents of an assisted living facility on Staten Island have been informed of a single case of Legionnaires’ disease on the premises. The unidentified patient is a resident of The Brielle at Seaview, a non-profit assisted living community, and has been discharged from care. No further information about the patient has been released. The notification is part of a city-wide plan implemented after last year’s Bronx outbreaks. Part of the newly instituted plan involves notifying facilities with high-risk populations when one or more cases are reported. The Brielle, with its aging population, falls into this category, though health officials noted that…
An outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease in upstate New York continues to grow. A fifth case has now been confirmed in Plattsburgh, NY. All of the patients live in the same apartment complex on the west side of the city, and officials have notified other residents of the complex about the outbreak. The first four cases were identified in October. The patients have been treated at the Champlain Valley Physicians Hospital; the first four patients have been discharged, and the final patient remains at the hospital in stable condition. The Clinton County Health Department has been collecting water samples from the apartment…