A concerning outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease in New York City has led to several deaths and hundreds of infections this summer.
In late July, an outbreak of the infection in Central Harlem was detected. Since then, six people have died and over 100 residents have been diagnosed with the disease in more than one zip code in the area.
On Tuesday, health officials announced an investigation on an apartment complex in the Bronx following two positive cases of Legionnaires’ disease.
A deadly outbreak of the disease was also detected in London, Ontario, resulting in four deaths and almost 90 hospitalizations this July. Health experts worry that as the planet gets warmer, cases of the infection will multiply.
“Legionnaires’ disease is a pneumonia that is caused by a bacteria called Legionella,” says Dr. Roy Gulick, chief of the division of infectious diseases at Weill Cornell Medicine and attending physician at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital.
