NYC DOH Closes Case on Latest Legionnaires’ Disease Cluster in The Bronx
By SÍLE MOLONEY
Photo courtesy of etzelism via Flickr
The City’s health department announced on June 17 that the investigation into the Highbridge community cluster of Legionnaires’ disease has been closed. “No new cases of Legionnaires’ disease have been identified in residents of the area with symptom onset in the last four weeks,” health officials said. There were 30 cases of Legionnaires’ disease associated with the cluster. Twenty-eight people were hospitalized, 24 have been discharged, and two New Yorkers died, as reported.
Remediation was ordered in early May by the department after four cooling towers in the Highbridge and Melrose sections of the borough tested positive for the presence of Legionella pneumophila, a type of bacteria that causes Legionnaires’ disease.
According to NYC Department of Buildings (DOB), a cooling tower is a heat exchanger that contains water and is used to remove excess heat by some buildings as part of their air conditioning, ventilation, and/or heating systems. Cooling towers are used to cool water by putting air and water into direct contact to extract waste heat into the atmosphere. When the water and air meet, a small amount of water is evaporated, creating a cooling action. The cooled water is then pumped back to the condenser or process equipment where it absorbs heat.
As reported, Legionnaires’ disease is a type of pneumonia caused by a bacteria that grows in warm water. Symptoms resemble other types of pneumonia and can include fever, chills, muscle aches, and cough. Most cases of Legionnaires’ disease can be traced to contamination of artificial water systems where conditions are favorable for Legionella growth, such as cooling towers.
People get sick by breathing in water vapor containing Legionella bacteria — it is not transmitted from person to person. Legionnaires’ disease is not caused by drinking from water that has Legionella bacteria. Individuals at higher risk include those ages 50 and above, cigarette smokers, and people with chronic lung disease or compromised immune systems.
The health department informed Norwood News on June 8 that it had ordered the four Highbridge area cooling towers that had tested positive for Legionnaires’ disease to be treated with chemicals that kill the bacteria. “Further testing results confirmed Legionella pneumophila in three of these towers and all three were fully cleaned and disinfected,” a City official said.
The official added at the time, “These test results do not show whether any of these towers caused cases of Legionnaires’ disease (in the affected patients). The department is sometimes able to link a cooling tower with cases (making a genetic match). If we make this link, we will share those findings.”
The health official added at the time, “Those who live or work in the Highbridge area should continue to monitor for symptoms of Legionnaires’ disease (including fever, chills, muscle aches, cough, headaches, fatigue, loss of appetite, confusion or diarrhea) and contact their health care provider at the first sign of feeling unwell. People in the…
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