116 cooling towers in the Lenox Hill area were tested for Legionella bacteria following an outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease. Out of those, 42 towers contained traces of Legionella bacteria, while 24 of those cooling towers had levels high enough to cause illness. The city has since ordered that all of the towers that tested positive be fully cleaned and disinfected. However, it has not been released where the towers that tested positive are located. These results come after seven cases and one death from Legionnaires’ disease were identified within a half-kilometer radius of the Lenox Hill neighborhood. The health department has ruled…
One person is dead and six others have been hospitalized due to their illness with Legionnaires’ disease over the past 11 days in the Lenox Hill neighborhood of Manhattan, New York. The woman who passed was in her 90s and reportedly had underlying health issues, says the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. The source of the outbreak is not yet known, but cooling systems within a half mile radius of those who have fallen ill are being tested as possible sources. The results from the 116 cooling systems under investigation may take up to two weeks. Legionnaires’ disease is caused…