One person is dead and five others infected after a new outbreak of Legionnaires\u2019 disease has hit the South Bronx, the city health department announced Thursday night.<\/p>\n
The cases were reported in the Morrisania and Melrose neighborhoods, as health officials await \u201cconfirmatory results for other potential cases\u201d and scramble to find the source of the outbreak.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur disease investigators have confirmed five cases of Legionnaires\u2019 disease and are working quickly to identify and confirm any additional cases in the area,\u201d said city Health Commissioner Dr. Alister F. Martin.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
The health department plans to begin outreach in the affected Bronx nabes on Friday. Jeff \u2013 stock.adobe.com<\/p>\n
The health department plans to begin outreach in the affected Bronx nabes on Friday, including weekend town halls \u2014 and comes on the heels of the deadly bug killing 11 along the Upper West Side earlier this summer. <\/p>\n
\u201cI understand that New Yorkers may have heightened concerns following the recent Upper East Side cluster,\u201d Martin pointed out in a statement.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are taking immediate action. Water ecologists have sampled all cooling towers in the affected area. Any cooling tower that tests positive will be directed to undergo full cleaning and disinfection immediately.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Mamdani administration was blasted<\/a> for its slow response to the Upper East Side outbreak and efforts to identify its source.<\/p>\n There were 94 confirmed cases and nearly 80 people hospitalized during that outbreak, where dozens of water cooling towers atop buildings along the Upper East Side<\/a> tested positive for Legionella bacteria. <\/p>\n Health officials said that cluster is no longer spreading, and Martin confirmed that none of the patients who contracted the disease during that outbreak remain in the hospital. <\/p>\n \u201cOur disease investigators have confirmed five cases of Legionnaires\u2019 disease and are working quickly to identify and confirm any additional cases in the area,\u201d said city Health Commissioner Dr. Alister F. Martin.\u00a0\u00a0 freshidea \u2013 stock.adobe.com<\/p>\n On Tuesday, city officials confirmed that an air-conditioning tower at the NYPD\u2019s 112th Precinct in Queens tested positive for trace amounts of Legionella.<\/p>\n The amount was categorized as \u201cLevel 2\u201d \u2014 low enough that it is unlikely to pose a danger and does not require occupant notification under state law, sources told The Post<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cAt this time, no patients with confirmed Legionnaires\u2019 disease have reported working at the 112th Precinct and there are no concerns for the public health or the NYPD\u2019s workforce related to the cooling tower at this location,\u201d a city Health Department rep said.<\/p>\n An aerial view of the Bronx, New York City. Tierney \u2013 stock.adobe.com<\/p>\n