The bacteria that causes Legionnaires’ disease has been detected at 10 South Bronx cooling towers, including the one overseeing Yankee Stadium, the New York City Health Department said Sunday.
At least nine people have been diagnosed with the illness, including one who died and three who have been hospitalized so far in connection to a cluster in the area.
Yankee Stadium in Bronx, New York City. Donaldson/Wirestock Creators – stock.adobe.com
Investigators are now ordering 10 cooling towers to be drained, cleaned and disinfected after preliminary testing detected Legionella bacteria.
The 10 sites to undergo full investigation are:
820 Concourse Village West
234 E. 149th St.
1 E. 161st St.
470 E. 161st St.
1265 Franklin Ave.
567 Melrose Ave.
3339 Park Ave.
1160 Teller Ave.
890 Washington Ave.
1085 Washington Ave.
The addresses include the site of Yankee Stadium, as well as the NYC Health + Hospitals/Lincoln medical facility in the Bronx.
Health officials noted that while preliminary PCR testing found the presence of the bacteria at the sites, it doesn’t mean the cooling towers are the source of the outbreak.
A 3D illustration shows Legionella pneumophila bacteria in water. Axel Kock – stock.adobe.com
“This test can detect the presence of Legionella bacteria DNA but cannot determine whether the bacteria are alive or dead and does not confirm that a cooling tower is the source of exposure. Only live Legionella bacteria can cause illness,” the health department said in a statement.
The department said eight of the cooling towers have complied with the 31-day testing requirements that took effect on May 8, with the towers at 820 Concourse Village West and 1265 Franklin Ave. failing to provide the required information.
The health department launched its investigation on Sept. 10 after Legionnaires cases were reported in the Morrisania and Melrose neighborhoods. Since then, the city has tested 24 cooling towers as part of its investigation.
NYC Health + Hospitals/Lincoln in the Bronx, where Legionnaires bacteria was detected in 10 South Bronx cooling towers, including Yankee Stadium, according to the DOH.
The Bronx cluster comes on the heels of a deadly Upper East Side outbreak earlier this summer that killed 11 people.
Legionnaires’ disease, a form of pneumonia, spreads when people inhale mist or tiny water droplets from water sources contaminated with Legionella bacteria, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The disease is fatal in about 1 in 10 diagnosed cases, with symptoms including fever, chills, muscle aches and cough.