Upper East Side Legionnaires' outbreak death toll reaches nine, exceeding previous Harlem cluster
New York City health officials reported that nine people have died in the Upper East Side Legionnaires' disease outbreak, surpassing last year's Harlem fatalities, and said the source of the outbreak has been eliminated.
New York City health officials announced Friday that the Legionnaires' disease outbreak on the Upper East Side has claimed nine lives, overtaking the seven deaths recorded in last year's Harlem cluster. Health Commissioner Dr. Alister Martin said two additional patients who were diagnosed weeks earlier have died, bringing the total to nine, and added that the outbreak’s source has been eliminated, so residents are no longer at increased risk. One person remains hospitalized, and no new cases have been reported for more than three weeks, though the department will continue testing samples from cooling towers and patients.
City Council Speaker Julie Menin, an Upper East Side resident, expressed sorrow over the latest deaths and noted that one of the fatalities involved a case reclassified as linked to the cluster. The city is also facing lawsuits related to the 2025 Harlem outbreak, with civil-rights attorney Ben Crump and Rev. Al Sharpton urging Mayor Zohran Mamdani to resolve the claims.
The health department will maintain surveillance of the situation while the legal actions proceed.