27 Now Sick In Fatal Washington Heights Legionnaires' Outbreak

WASHINGTON HEIGHTS, NY — The number of people sickened by a fatal outbreak of Legionnaires' Disease in Washington Heights continues to climb, city health officials said.

A total of 27 people have been sickened by the outbreak, which has claimed the life of one victim, and three people remain in the hospital, a city Health Department spokeswoman said. The Health Department first announced it was investigating a cluster of Legionnaires' Disease cases in lower Washington Heights on July 11 and had identified just eight cases at that time.

Most of the people who have fallen ill, including the person who died, are older than 50 years old, officials said.

The Legionnaires' outbreak has spurred calls from local politicians for greater transparency and more severe punishments when buildings fail cooling tower inspections. The current fine for a first-time violation is $2,000 and the fines for subsequent violations can not exceed $5,000 the councilman said. For failed inspections of towers that lead to a deadly outbreak of Legionnaires' Disease the fine is no more than $10,000.

Officials have tested 20 cooling towers of buildings in the area of the outbreak and are saying that neighborhood residents can continue to use water as usual despite the rise in the number of people sickened by the outbreak.

The Health Department is warning people to be vigilant should they experience flu-like symptoms. The department listed the area of the outbreak as "lower Washington Heights," but did not provide details as to what that area entails. A Health Department spokeswoman told Patch that the department does not disclose the specific locations of outbreaks.

Legionnaires' symptoms include fever, cough, chills, muscle aches, headache, fatigue, loss of appetite, confusion and diarrhea and generally surface two to 10 days after contact with the bacteria Legionella. Common culprits in the spread of the Legionella bacteria include cooling towers, whirlpool spas, hot tubs, humidifiers, hot water tanks, and evaporative condensers of large air-conditioning systems, the Department of Health said. The city sees an average of 200 to 500 cases of Legionnaires' Disease each year, health officials said.

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