A pair of Legionnaires’ disease cases seem to have originated at the same apartment complex in Harlem. Two individuals who spent time at the Savoy Park Apartments on W 139th Street have been diagnosed with the disease over the past ten months; both have since recovered Investigators say that these cases should not be considered as part of an outbreak. Still, the city’s health department has been proactive in its response. These cases come in the wake of the deadly August 2015 outbreak of Legionnaires’ in the south Bronx, and health officials are on high alert. Once an investigation was decided upon, managers at the complex notified residents and informed them that an environmental company had been hired to test water from the buildings. Officials have suggested that tenants with compromised immune systems avoid showers and take steps to prevent creating mist. During the south Bronx epidemic, officials tested cooling towers across the city and determined that many of them housed the deadly Legionella bacteria. New York City recently enacted legislation that requires building operators to perform regular tests on their cooling towers. There are no cooling towers at the Savoy Park Apartments, however, so the environmental investigation will focus on other potential sources of the bacteria. More information is available here. Jules Zacher is an attorney in Philadelphia who has tried Legionnaires’ disease cases across the U.S. Please visit LegionnaireLawyer.com again for updates.
NYC investigates 2 cases of Legionnaires’ disease in Harlem was last modified: August 1st, 2016 by