Legionnaires' Disease Kills 1 In Washington Heights: City

WASHINGTON HEIGHTS, NY — The latest major outbreak of Legionnaires' Disease in Washington Heights has become deadly, city health officials said Wednesday.

One person died Wednesday in relation to an outbreak of the bacterial disease that is being traced back to late September, New York City Health Commissioner Oxiris Barbot told reporters on a conference call. The outbreak has sickened a total of 16 people, seven of whom remain hospitalized, Barbot said.

Health officials declined to answer any questions about the person who died due to privacy concerns.

The source of the latest outbreak is still under investigation and the city is taking "aggressive steps" to determine why a second major outbreak has hit Washington Heights in a matter of months, Barbot said.

City health officials have tested the cooling towers of 20 buildings in Washington Heights for signs of the Legionella bacteria, Barbot said. Preliminary test results at 11 buildings prompted officials to order the buildings to conduct biocide remediation. Preliminary results may indicate the presence of either dead bacteria or bacteria growth.

Complete test results will take at least two weeks to process, Barbot said Wednesday. Buildings where the growth of Legionella bacteria is found will be ordered to conduct a full cleaning and disinfecting of cooling towers.

The summer outbreak — which ended in mid August — was traced back to The Sugar Hill Project, a high-rise building on St. Nicholas Avenue near West 155th Street. Officials ordered The Sugar Hill Project to clean and disinfect its cooling systems due to the building's proximity to the new outbreak. The cleaning was completed on Oct. 5, health officials said.

The risk of contracting Legionnaires' Disease remains low for Washington Heights residents, health officials said. Out of an abundance of caution, residents or people who spend a lot of time in the area should seek medical attention if they display symptoms consistent with pneumonia such as fever, coughing, chills or body aches.

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 Legionella bacteria. 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.

The disease cannot be spread from one person to another, city health officials said.

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