Upper East Side Legionnaires’ outbreak claims fifth death as 82 cases confirmed

A fifth person has died in connection with a Legionnaires’ disease outbreak on Manhattan’s Upper East Side, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 82, city health officials said on Tuesday. The disease, a severe form of pneumonia caused by inhaling water vapor contaminated with Legionella bacteria, has been traced to 34 cooling towers across 33 buildings in the area. All of those towers have been cleaned and disinfected, and additional towers that previously tested positive have also been treated while results for 140 other systems are pending.

"We believe that through our aggressive strategy of testing and remediation we have eliminated the source of exposure," said Health Commissioner Dr. Alister F. Martin. He added that the city is focusing on laboratory analyses to pinpoint the exposure source and will hold any non-compliant parties accountable.

The health department reported that 56 patients have been discharged, eight remain hospitalized, and no new cases have been identified in the past six days. The outbreak has affected three ZIP codes on the Upper East Side: 10028, 10075 and 10128.