NBC: Two people have died and more than three dozen have fallen ill from Legionnaires’ disease in Westchester County, according to health officials.
The two deaths were among the 37 people who have been sickened by the legionella since the beginning of the summer, county Health Commissioner Dr. Sherlita Amler said Monday. The two who died lived in White Plains and New Rochelle, respectively, but their names, ages and genders were not shared.
Dr. Amler also said that the case total for Westchester County is up comparted to 2024. The reason for that, she said, could be due to the high number of 90-degrees days we’ve seen, which would’ve helped the legionella bacteria multiply and spread.
The cases come after a Legionnaires’ outbreak in Harlem killed seven people and sickened more than 100 others starting in late July. It was later determined that Harlem Hospital and and another city-run building were sources for the deadly outbreak. Cooling towers from atop the building and at a nearby construction site where the city’s public health lab is located matched samples from some of the ill patients.
The city is considering a series of changes to try to prevent future outbreaks. Among them are requiring building owners to test for Legionella every 30 days instead of the current 90-days and increasing the fines for violations for failure to comply with local cooling tower regulations.
Anyone experiencing respiratory symptoms should see a doctor, Dr. Amler said, especially those who are 60 or older, or have underlying health conditions. People usually develop symptoms — a cough, fever, headaches, muscle aches and shortness of breath — between two days and two weeks after exposure to the bacteria, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Legionnaires’ disease is a type of pneumonia that is caused by Legionella bacteria, which thrives in warm water and typically spreads through contaminated mist.
Medical investigators have linked past city outbreaks to public fountains, air conditioning systems, spas, showers and even the misters than keep fruit moist in supermarkets. People simply walking by can get infected inhaling the mist, which can travel up to a mile, under some conditions.
