Legionnaires' Disease Sickens 8 In Washington Heights, City Says

WASHINGTON HEIGHTS, NY — Washington Heights has been hit with a second outbreak of Legionnaires' Disease in recent months, city Health Department officials announced Friday.

Eight fell ill with the infection, caused by the Legionella bacteria, and were sent to the hospital in a five-day span, city health officials said. An outbreak of the disease sickened sickened 27 people, killing one, during the summer this year.

"The Health Department has identified a second cluster this season of Legionnaires disease in the Lower Washington Heights area and we are taking aggressive steps to ensure the safety of residents," Acting Health Department Commissioner Dr. Oxiris Barbot said in a statement.

The city Health Department said the Legionnaires' Disease cluster is affecting "lower Washington Heights," but did not provide any additional details. The summer outbreak — which was also reported in "lower Washington Heights" — was traced back to The Sugar Hill Project, a high-rise building on St. Nicholas Avenue near West 155th Street.

Officials have ordered The Sugar Hill Project to once again clean and disinfect its cooling systems in light of the new outbreak.

"Although the risk is very low, we urge residents and people who work in the area to take precautions. Legionnaires‘ disease is not contagious and can be treated with common antibotics if caught early. Anyone with flu-like symptoms such as cough, fever or difficulty breathing should seek medical attention immediately," Barbot said in a statement.

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.

The disease cannot be spread from one person to another, the Department of Health said in a statement.

Photo by Cultura/Shutterstock