2015 — July-mid Aug, Legionnaires’ Disease, South Bronx, New York City, NY – 16

–16 Lapierre, et al. “Legionnaires’ Disease Outbreak Caused by Endemic Strain of Legionella…” 2017.
–12 NBC 4 NY. “3 More Bronx Sites Test Positive for Legionnaires’ Bacteria.” 8-12-2015.
–12 NYT. “Order to Clean Towers Strains Crews Amid…Outbreak in Bronx.” 8-16-2015.

Narrative Information

Lapierre, et al.: “Abstract. During the summer of 2015, New York, New York, USA, had one of the largest and deadliest outbreaks of Legionnaires’ disease in the history of the United States. A total of 138 cases and 16 deaths were linked to a single cooling tower in the South Bronx. Analysis of environmental samples and clinical isolates showed that sporadic cases of legionellosis before, during, and after the outbreak could be traced to a slowly evolving, single-ancestor strain. Detection of an ostensibly virulent Legionella strain endemic to the Bronx community suggests potential risk for future cases of legionellosis in the area. The genetic homogeneity of the Legionella population in this area might complicate investigations and interpretations of future outbreaks of Legionnaires’ disease.” (Lapierre, Pascal, et al. “Legionnaires’ Disease Outbreak Caused by Endemic Strain of Legionella pneumophila, New York, Ney York, USA, 2015.” Emerging Infectious Diseases, Vol. 23, No. 11, Nov 2017.)

Media at the Time

July 29, CNN: “Two people have died in a Legionnaires’ disease outbreak in New York. Thirty-one cases of the flu-like disease have been reported since mid-July in the South Bronx, the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene said….An estimated 8,000 to 18,000 hospitalized cases of Legionnaires’ disease occurs each year in the United States…..” (CNN (Doug Criss and Lauriel Cleveland) “Two dead in Legionnaires’ disease outbreak in New York.” 7-30-2015.)

July 31, Specia: “New York City officials are investigating an outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease in the South Bronx, after the death toll rose on Friday. A third person was confirmed dead from the disease, according to NBC, citing local officials. More than 50 others have contracted the severe form of pneumonia. The New York City Health department said Friday that 57 cases were reported in the Bronx area since July 10. The health department has not released detailed information on those who died from the disease, but two of them were people in their 50s…. About 2,200 Legionnaires’ illnesses have been reported nationwide since Jan. 1, including more than 100 in New York City. City Health Commissioner Dr. Mary Bassett said earlier this week that the South Bronx cases represent an “unusual increase.”” (Mashable (Megan Specia). “Three dead, dozens sick with Legionnaires’ disease in NYC outbreak.” 7-31-2015.)

Aug 1, Reuters: “New York — A deadly outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease, a severe type of pneumonia, has killed four people and sickened 65 in the Bronx section of New York City since July 10, New York City health officials said on Saturday. This wave of Legionnaires’, which officials have called unusual, includes more than five times the number of cases recorded in the last outbreak, in which 12 people in the Bronx fell ill in December 2014…. In response to the outbreak, the city’s health department has inspected 22 buildings in the Bronx, 17 of which have cooling towers. Five buildings, including the historic Opera House Hotel, Lincoln Medical Center and the Concourse Plaza mall and movie complex, tested positive for Legionella. Disinfection efforts are ongoing or have been completed at all five sites. Federal investigators found systemic management problems led to the outbreak.” (Reuters. “4 dead, 65 sickened in Bronx by Legionella.” TribLive.com, 8-1-2015.)

Aug 5, Daily Voice: “The death toll has risen to seven people in the largest outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease in New York City’s history, according to multiple reports….Seventy-nine others have been sickened in the South Bronx since July 10, according to the New York Daily News….Of the 17 towers that were tested in the South Bronx, five came up positive for the Legionella bacteria, the Daily News said. Mayor Bill DeBlasio announced legislation Tuesday calling for better monitoring and inspection of suspect cooling towers, according to the newspaper. The City Council is to consider the proposed law this week that would create a complete registry of every building with a cooling tower….A 2011 CDC report said that New York has a rate of Legionnaires’ disease that is nearly double the national average, the Daily News reported….” (Daily Voice (Carol Reif). “Death Toll at 7 in Largest New York City Legionnaires’ Disease Outbreak.” 8-5-2015.)

Aug 6, Simonds: “Authorities say the eight people who died were older adults who had previous medical problems….” (CelebCafe.org (Simmons). “Industrial complex identified as likely Legionnaires’ outbreak source.” 8-6-2015.)

Aug 7, NBC: “…100 people…have been sickened amid what health officials have said is the largest Legionnaires’ disease outbreak in New York City history.” (NBC New York (Brynn Gingras). “CDC to Hold Briefing on Legionnaires’ Outbreak as Sick Bronx Dad Plans to File First Lawsuit.” 8-7-2015.)

Aug 8, NBC 4 NY: “The Legionnaires’ disease outbreak in the south Bronx that has killed 10 people has largely been contained, though five more buildings have tested positive for the bacteria, New York City officials said Saturday. ‘The good news is that this outbreak is tapering off,’ Mayor de Blasio said during an afternoon news conference. There have been no new cases in the past four days, he added….” (NBC 4 New York. “Legionnaires’ Outbreak ‘Tapering Off,’ Mayor Says.” 8-8-2015.)

Aug 8: “…On Friday [Aug 7], the city hall claimed a decline in the frequency of new cases and the number of emergency department visits….Meanwhile, New York is not the only area experiencing the disease outbreak. New York City Health Commissioner Dr. Mary Basset disclosed this week that more cases have been reported all over the United States, ABC News has learned. “In the United States, and in our city, the number of cases of Legionnaires’ disease have been increasing since the year 2000,” Basset explained. “The reasons for that are not clear, but may have to do with better case ascertainment. We have better and better lab tests that enable us to make the diagnosis. And it also may have to do with the fact that we have an aging population, more people susceptible to the infection.”” (Jobsnhire.com. “Legionnaire’s Disease Continues to Invade NY Killing Almost a Dozen [10] in South Bronx; Government Offers Free Bacteria Testing.” 8-8-2015.)

Aug 10, NYT: “The arrival of the Opera House Hotel in the South Bronx two years ago was a turning point for a poor corner of New York City. A rundown theater building where Harry Houdini and the Marx Brothers performed was transformed into a boutique hotel with terrazzo floors, custom furnishings and concierge service. It became an instant landmark among the bodegas, fast-food restaurants and pharmacies that drive the neighborhood commerce. But now the Opera House, on East 149th Street, is at the center of the worst outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease in the city’s history, with investigators identifying a cluster of three patients who had direct contact with the hotel, and a second cluster of three who live in an apartment building on the street behind the hotel.

“The airborne disease has killed 12 people and infected at least 113 since early July, overshadowing an economic success story and highlighting the public health risks that have long plagued the city’s poorest borough. The hotel’s water-cooling tower was one of five in the South Bronx that initially tested positive for the Legionella bacteria, and on Monday night, a city official said that the investigation so far pointed to the hotel, though the official cautioned that test results were still out and that no final conclusions had been reached. “The preponderance of medical and scientific information available now points to one of the original five sites as the source of this outbreak, with the Opera House Hotel as the most likely source of the outbreak,” the official said, speaking on the condition of anonymity because the findings were preliminary….In a chart highlighted by city health officials, the hotel’s tower is the one surrounded by the densest concentration of identified cases….

“The other buildings in the group of towers with initial positive tests were Lincoln Medical and Mental Health Center, Concourse Plaza shopping mall, a Verizon office building and Streamline Plastics Company….

“On Monday, city officials held a public briefing at which they announced the death toll had increased to 12 and detailed their continuing effort to address the outbreak. But Mr. de Blasio found himself once again at odds with Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, a fellow Democrat, who held his own briefing. The governor has faulted the city’s handling of the outbreak and has directed his health agency to take a more active role….” (NYT (Winnie Hu and Noah Remnick). “Hotel that Enlivened the Bronx is now a ‘Hot Spot’ for Legionnaires’.” 8-10-2015.)

Aug 12, NBC 4: “City officials have identified three new sites as having tested positive for Legionella within the epicenter of the historic Legionnaires’ disease outbreak that’s sickened 119 people and left 12 dead in New York City. The following sites, all within the Legionnaires’ disease “impact zone” in the south Bronx, have newly tested positive for Legionella, and have either been disinfected and remediated, or are in the process of doing so, according to city health officials:

• Chris’ Super Deli, 903 Sheridan Avenue
• Pyramid Safe Haven, 470 E161st Street
• Conway Store, 2952-4 3rd Avenue

“They join these 11 sites previously identified as having tested for Legionella, which have already been disinfected and remediated:

• Concourse Plaza, 198 E. 161st. St.
• Opera House Hotel, 436 E. 149 St.
• Lincoln Hospital, 234 E. 149th St.
• Streamline Plastics, 2950 Park Ave.
• Daughters of Jacob Nursing Home, 1160 Teller Ave.
• Post Office, 558 Grand Concourse
• Verizon, 117 E. 167th St.
• Bronx Housing Courts, 1118 Grand Concourse
• NYC Dept. of Education 455 Southern Boulevard (called Samuel Gompers High School).
• DHS PATH Intake Center, 151 East 151st Street.
• Bronx Hall of Justice, 245 E 161ST Street

“Officials said every cooling tower located within the Bronx impact zone has already been ordered to immediately disinfect and remediate, regardless of whether it tested positive for Legionella. Six other sites outside the Bronx impact zone have tested positive for legionella, but are not necessarily related to the outbreak, officials said. They are:

• Verizon, 1106 Hoe Ave.
• Police Dept., 1086 Simpson St.
• Wildcat Academy, 1201 Lafayette Ave.
• 230 East 123rd St.
• St. Barnabas Nursing Home, 2175 Quarry Rd.
• St. Barnabas Hospital, 4422 3rd Avenue

“The cluster in the south Bronx has killed 12 people and sickened more than 100 others, but city officials say they believe there have been no new diagnoses there since Aug. 3….

“It’s not clear what triggered the outbreak, which began last month…” (NBC 4 New York. “3 More Bronx Sites Test Positive for Legionnaires’ Bacteria.” 8-12-2015.)

Aug 15, RT.com: “The number of people infected in New York’s worst-ever Legionnaires’ disease outbreak has reached 124, according to mayor office. All of the latest patients fell sick prior to August 3, with no new diagnoses having been made since then, it stressed. The five new Legionnaires’ cases appeared in the South Bronx, the same place where the previous cases were registered, the administration said. “Health officials remain confident that one or more of the five locations that initially tested positive was the source of the outbreak, and that through disinfection of the source, the outbreak has been contained,” according to a statement by the mayor’s office as cited by BNO News. Twelve patients have died and 94 were successfully treated in the recent outbreak.

“The majority of those, who contracted Legionnaires’ disease, or legionellosis, were elderly people, who also suffered from other illnesses. The disease is lethal in 20 percent of cases, mainly due to difficulties in diagnosis.” (RT.com. “Number of Legionnaires’ disease cases in New York rises to 124.” 8-15-2015.)

Aug 16, NYT: “When the bacteria that cause Legionnaires’ disease were discovered last week in a cooling tower above a South Bronx deli, New York City officials decided the cleanup could not wait. At their request, Rich Parker rushed his best cleaning crew over to the two-story building at 903 Sheridan Avenue on Tuesday night, arming them with respirators, power washers and an arsenal of chemicals for an emergency disinfection. The Fire Department’s Ladder Company 44 was summoned to lift the crew to the roof using a fire truck ladder. “We’ve never seen anything like this,” said Mr. Parker, president of the Metro Group, which has cleaned more than 100 cooling towers in the past week, up from five a week a year ago. “It’s like a wartime response.”

“Since a deadly outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease in the South Bronx was discovered last month, 20 cooling towers out of more than 135 tested have been found to have the Legionella bacteria. Though health officials have focused on a small number of them, including one at the Opera House Hotel, as likely sources of the outbreak, the health department on Aug. 6 ordered every building in the city with a cooling tower to evaluate and disinfect it within two weeks of receiving a letter. The sweeping order was cast as a pre-emptive strike against Legionnaires’, which has claimed 12 lives and sickened more than 120 people in the South Bronx, the worst flare-up of the disease in the city’s history. People can contract the illness by inhaling contaminated mist from a cooling tower or another water source.

“But as the order has been carried out, it has taxed the resources of the limited number of companies that specialize in cooling towers, frustrated some building owners who see it as an unnecessary expense and created confusion about what exactly the order requires. The city’s rooftops are home to thousands of cooling towers — boxy structures that help regulate cold and hot air — though the precise number is unknown. Industry and government guidelines have long recommended that cooling towers be properly maintained and cleaned, typically twice a year, to help control the growth of Legionella bacteria, but those had not been legal requirements. On Thursday, the City Council passed legislation that would require building owners to conduct quarterly inspections of cooling towers, among other new measures. The health department’s order has already prompted hundreds of buildings to disinfect their towers, some of them for the first time, according to companies that are struggling to keep up with the surge in demand. City health officials have said that building owners are generally responsible for the cost of the work, and that those who do not comply with the order will face legal sanctions, including fines….” (NYT (Winnie Hu). “Order to Clean Towers Strains Crews Amid Legionnaires’ Outbreak in Bronx.” 8-16-2015.)

Aug 17, NY1: “The first Legionnaires’ case was reported to the city Health Department July 10. Then another, and another. On July 25, a computer algorithm flagged to health officials that something was wrong. By July 29, there were 31 cases and the department alerted doctors and the press. The next day, the city announced a total of 46 cases, and two deaths – the toll was climbing fast. Officials urged anyone with pneumonia-like symptoms to seek help. On July 30, the Legionella bacteria was found in two cooling systems….

“We now know that August 3 was the last day anyone got the disease. By this time, the outbreak’s source – those five contaminated towers – had been cleaned. The danger was over….Only a few more cases would be reported – patients who had gotten sick earlier, but were not properly diagnosed. By Thursday the toll stood at 119 sick, and still 12 dead….” (NY1 (Erin Billups). “A Look at the Bronx Legionnaires’ Disease Outbreak Timeline.” 8-20-2015.)

Sources

CelebCafe.org (Kris Simmons). “Industrial complex identified as likely Legionnaires’ outbreak source.” 8-6-2015. Accessed 8-7-2015: http://celebcafe.org/industrial-complex-identified-as-likely-legionnaires-outbreak-source-that-6324/

CNN (Doug Criss and Lauriel Cleveland) “Two dead in Legionnaires’ disease outbreak in New York.” 7-30-2015. Accessed 8-7-2015: http://www.cnn.com/2015/07/30/health/new-york-legionnaires-disease/

Daily Voice (Carol Reif). “Death Toll at 7 in Largest New York City Legionnaires’ Disease Outbreak.” 8-5-2015. Accessed 8-7-2015: http://ridgefield.dailyvoice.com/news/death-toll-7-largest-new-york-city-legionnaires-disease-outbreak

Jobsnhire.com. “Legionnaire’s Disease Continues to Invade NY Killing Almost a Dozen [10] in South Bronx; Government Offers Free Bacteria Testing.” 8-8-2015. Accessed 8-8-2015 at: http://www.jobsnhire.com/articles/24223/20150808/legionnaire-s-disease-continues-to-invade-ny-killing-almost-a-dozen-in-south-bronx-government-offers-free-bacteria-testing.htm

Lapierre, Pascal, et al. “Legionnaires’ Disease Outbreak Caused by Endemic Strain of Legionella pneumophila, Ney York, New York, USA, 2015.” Emerging Infectious Diseases, Vol. 23, No. 11, Nov 2017. Website accessed 3-24-2021 at: https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/23/11/17-0308_article

Mashable (Megan Specia). “Three dead, dozens sick with Legionnaires’ disease in NYC outbreak.” 7-31-2015. Accessed 8-7-2015: http://mashable.com/2015/07/31/legionnaires-disease-outbreak-nyc/

NBC 4 New York. “3 More Bronx Sites Test Positive for Legionnaires’ Bacteria.” 8-12-2015. Accessed 8-13-2015 at: http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/NYC-Legionnaires-Disease-Outbreak-New-Sites-Bronx-321657832.html

NBC 4 New York (Brynn Gingras). “CDC to Hold Briefing on Legionnaires’ Outbreak as Sick Bronx Dad Plans to File First Lawsuit.” 8-7-2015. Accessed 8-7-2015 at: http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/Legionnaires-Disease-Outbreak-New-York-City-Bronx-Death-Sick-100-Cooling-Tower-Health-Investigation-Centers-for-Disease-Control-CDC-321039851.html

NBC 4 New York. “Legionnaires’ Outbreak ‘Tapering Off,’ Mayor Says.” 8-8-2015. Accessed 8-10-2015: http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/Cuomo-Deploys-Officials-to-Bronx-for-Legionella-Testing-321132901.html

New York Times (Winnie Hu and Noah Remnick). “Hotel that Enlivened the Bronx is now a ‘Hot Spot’ for Legionnaires’.” 8-10-2015. Accessed 8-17-2015 at: http://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/11/nyregion/death-toll-from-legionnaires-disease-outbreak-in-bronx-rises-to-12.html

New York Times (Winnie Hu). “Order to Clean Towers Strains Crews Amid Legionnaires’ Outbreak in Bronx.” 8-16-2015. Accessed 8-17-2015 at: http://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/17/nyregion/order-to-clean-towers-strains-crews-amid-legionnaires-outbreak-in-bronx.html?_r=0

NY1 (Erin Billups). “A Look at the Bronx Legionnaires’ Disease Outbreak Timeline.” 8-20-2015. Accessed 8-20-2015: http://www.ny1.com/nyc/all-boroughs/health-and-medicine/2015/08/17/a-look-at-the-legionnaires–disease-outbreak-timeline.html

Reuters. “4 dead, 65 sickened in Bronx by Legionella.” TribLive.com, 8-1-2015. Accessed 8-7-2015 at: http://triblive.com/usworld/nation/8845652-74/outbreak-bronx-legionnaires#axzz3i97CblQL

RT.com. “Number of Legionnaires’ disease cases in New York rises to 124.” 8-15-2015.” Accessed 8-16-2015 at: https://www.rt.com/usa/312561-legionnaires-disease-new-york/

Washington Post (Ariana Eunjung Cha). “NYC Legionnaires’ disease death toll hits double-digits as officials order inspection of all cooling towers, threaten penalties.” Accessed 8-7-2015: http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/to-your-health/wp/2015/08/07/nyc-legionnaires-disease-death-toll-hits-double-digits-as-officials-order-inspection-of-all-cooling-towers-threaten-penalties/