In the midst of an expanding outbreak in Harlem, the city’s Department of Health has reported a second death connected to Legionnaires’ disease. The illness, which is caused by bacteria in water vapour and usually causes flu-like symptoms, has been diagnosed in at least 58 people since July 25. Residents in uptown neighbourhoods are being advised by officials to get medical attention if they notice any symptoms of the illness.
What is legionnaires disease?
The bacterium Legionella, most frequently Legionella pneumophila, is the cause of the severe form of pneumonia known as legionnaires’ disease. Coughing, shortness of breath, high fever (up to 104°F or 40°C), headaches, chills, exhaustion, and occasionally gastrointestinal symptoms like nausea, vomiting, or diarrhoea are among the symptoms that usually appear two to ten days after exposure. Other symptoms include confusion or other mental changes.
What are the symptoms of legionnaires disease?
Legionnaires’ disease symptoms typically start with flu-like symptoms like headache, muscle aches, and a high fever that can reach 104°F (40°C) and typically manifest 2 to 10 days after exposure. Coughing (which may produce mucus or bloody sputum), shortness of breath, chest pain, exhaustion, and chills are common symptoms as the illness worsens over a few days. Diarrhoea, vomiting, and nausea are typical gastrointestinal symptoms. There may also be neurological symptoms like disorientation or other mental changes. Loss of appetite and impaired coordination.
How is legionnaires disease spread?
Inhaling tiny water droplets or aerosols containing Legionella bacteria is the main way that Legionnaires’ disease is transmitted. Sources of this polluted mist include air conditioners, hot tubs, cooling towers, showers, faucets, fountains, and ornamental water features. Aspiration, a less frequent cause of the illness, happens when tainted water inadvertently enters the lungs while drinking, particularly in those who have trouble swallowing. Effective person-to-person transmission of Legionnaires’ disease has not been documented. Rarely, less frequent sources of transmission, like flushing toilets that release contaminated water into the air, have been suspected.
History of legionnaires disease
After a significant outbreak during the annual American Legion convention in July 1976 at the Bellevue-Stratford Hotel in Philadelphia, legionnaires’ disease was first identified. Thirty-four people died and over 200 people fell ill with a severe form of pneumonia. Early in 1977, CDC microbiologist Joseph McDade identified the causative agent of this outbreak as Legionella pneumophila.
Retrospective studies revealed earlier cases that resembled Legionnaires’ disease, despite the fact that the 1976 Philadelphia outbreak popularised the illness and gave it its name. In 1957, 78 employees of a meatpacking plant in Austin, Minnesota, contracted pneumonia connected to a tainted cooling tower, marking the first outbreak to be formally recognised.Another smaller outbreak had occurred two years before 1976 at the same Philadelphia hotel with similar pneumonia cases.
What is the current status of legionnaires’ disease in Harlem?
With 58 confirmed cases and two fatalities since July 25, the Legionnaires’ disease outbreak in Harlem is still ongoing as of early August 2025. Eleven cooling towers in Central Harlem that tested positive for Legionella bacteria have had their remediation completed by the New York City Department of Health.
Residents and workers in the impacted areas are still being urged by health officials to be on the lookout for flu-like symptoms, including cough, fever, chills, muscle aches, and trouble breathing. This is especially important for those who are more susceptible, such as those over 50, smokers, and those with long-term lung or immune disorders. If symptoms appear, it is recommended to seek medical attention as soon as possible.