UPPER EAST SIDE, Manhattan (WABC) — New York City officials announced a series of new measures aimed at strengthening the city’s response to Legionnaires’ disease ahead of a City Council hearing this week that will examine the city’s handling of the outbreak.
The mayor’s office said the city plans to improve oversight of cooling towers, which can harbor the Legionella bacteria that causes Legionnaires’ disease, a severe form of pneumonia spread through contaminated water mist or vapor.
Under the plan, the Department of Health will work with the Department of Buildings to strengthen cooling tower registration and permit-tracking systems and identify potentially unregistered cooling towers.
Officials also plan to expand the city’s online cooling tower lookup tool with a new citywide mapping feature that will allow New Yorkers to view registered cooling towers across all five boroughs. The feature is expected to launch by next spring.
The administration is also exploring faster testing methods for Legionella bacteria, accelerated enforcement of cooling tower violations and the creation of a scientific advisory panel to study cooling tower technology and alternative cooling systems.
As of Saturday, health officials reported 94 cases associated with the recent Legionnaires’ cluster. No patients remain hospitalized, though 11 people have died. Officials have not identified the source of the illnesses.
