New Legionella Cluster in the Bronx

Last week, LeadingAge New York participated in a conference call with the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (NYCDOHMH) regarding a new cluster of Legionella cases in the East Bronx. The following is an update from that discussion. Thirteen cases have been linked to this cluster, which is distinct and separate from the outbreak over the summer. Most, if not all, of the cases involve someone with some co-morbidity that creates higher risk for those individuals. One of the 13 people affected has died. The onset dates were Sept. 14th-21st. DOH went to the area and sampled 42 cooling towers; the results are being assessed.

NYCDOHMH recommends that if individuals seek treatment early if they experience any symptoms.

It was reported that there has been a good deal of outreach in the neighborhood to provide information, and a town hall was held last week to field questions from the public. For more information, see this HAN Notice regarding this new cluster.

In addition to resources on Legionella previously provided, below are additional resources:

NYC Legionella Resources (including Commissioner’s order)
NY State Emergency Regulations
Additional NY DOH Guidance Documents

Cooling tower questions: cooling.tower@health.ny.gov

Regulation questions: Legionella@health.ny.gov

To Report Suspected Cases of Legionella:

866-NYC-DOH1 (1-866-692-3641)
NYCMED at http://www.nyc.gov/html/doh/html/hcp/hcp-urf1.shtm

Contact: Diane Darbyshire, ddarbyshire@leadingageny.org, 518-867-8828