
The New York City Department of Health has now reported 19 confirmed cases of Legionnaires’ disease linked to an outbreak in the Bronx. The first person was diagnosed on May 3. One person has died and a further 8 people are hospitalized. The Health Department has sampled the cooling towers in the area. Four cooling towers tested positive for the presence of Legionella pneumophila, a type of bacteria that causes Legionnaires’ disease, and were immediately ordered to disinfect. Cases of Legionnaires’ disease are on the rise in the U.S.,…