Sixth Death Confirmed as Legionnaires Outbreak Sweeps Upper East Side
New York City health officials confirmed a sixth death and 90 Legionnaires’ disease cases linked to contaminated cooling towers on the Upper East Side, reporting no new infections. Earlier in the outbreak, officials traced the spread to dozens of towers, ordering disinfection of 76 buildings and later adding dozens more to a public list. Over the months, the death toll rose from the first fatality to six as case counts climbed from an initial ten to ninety, while the city expanded testing, published tower locations and urged residents to seek medical care. The investigation began with ten confirmed cases in Carnegie Hill and Yorkville, prompting testing of cooling towers.
Subsequent reports raised the count to 14, then 18, 28, 46, 60, 63, 72, 74, 82 and finally 90 cases, with five deaths reported before the sixth. The mayor pledged to release addresses of towers that tested positive, and the health department ordered cleaning of towers at major sites including museums and schools. By the latest update, remediation efforts continued but no new cases had been identified.
