In a notice<\/a> to the two neighborhoods — Carnegie Hill and Yorkville — the department said it believes the likely source of the bacteria is a cooling tower in the area, which sprays a mist that contains the bacteria.<\/p>\n 1 dead and at least 22 sick from Legionnaires’ disease cluster in New York City<\/a><\/p>\n The health department said there is no issue with any building’s plumbing system and that residents in the affected areas can continue to drink tap water, bathe, shower, cook and use their air conditioners.<\/p>\n “All cooling towers in [the] area are being sampled and tested in the NYC Public Health Lab,” Mark Levine, the city’s comptroller, wrote in a post on X<\/a> on Sunday evening. “It unfortunately takes several weeks for cultures to grow.”<\/p>\n Bsip\/uig\/Getty Images\/Universal Images – PHOTO: Legionnaire’s Disease bacterium is seen in this stock photo.<\/p>\n Legionnaires’ disease is a severe form of pneumonia\u00a0caused<\/a>\u00a0by inhaling the Legionella bacteria in small droplets of water mixed in the air or contaminated water accidentally going into the lungs.<\/p>\n The bacteria are found naturally in freshwater but amounts generally don’t lead to disease. The bacteria typically grow best in warm water and in warm to hot temperatures, according to the\u00a0Centers for Disease Control and Prevention<\/a>\u00a0(CDC).<\/p>\n The disease does not generally spread from person to person, but infections can occur if the bacteria get into a building’s water supply, including in shower heads, sink faucets, hot water tanks, heaters, cooling towers and other plumbing systems.<\/p>\n Legionnaires’ disease has increased in prevalence over the last decade, reaching a peak of 2.71 cases per 100,000 in 2018, the\u00a0CDC said<\/a>. Cases dropped during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic and then rebounded in 2021.<\/p>\n Although most people recover from Legionnaires’ disease with antibiotics, certain patients — including those who are immunocompromised or who suffer from chronic lung diseases —\u00a0can develop complications<\/a>\u00a0that can be fatal.<\/p>\n![\"Bsip\/uig\/Getty](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/b019b7424f005311b6ae1fe759c27495.jpeg\"\/)
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