Despite Two More Deaths, City Asserts Legionnaires' Outbreak is Slowing
The city said two more people have died from Legionnaires' disease, bringing the total number of deaths in the past few weeks to 12.
But city health officials are optimistic the outbreak may be nearing its end because the number of new cases hasn't grown.
"We have seen no one reporting the onset of symptoms since August 3," said city health commissioner Dr. Mary Bassett, adding "this is very good news indeed."
A total of 113 people have been sickened by the disease, with four added to the count Monday because they were diagnosed after the fact.
Bassett was among several agency heads and politicians who joined Mayor Bill de Blasio at a City Hall press conference on Monday. They sat at a long table and pointed to a chart showing the rise and fall of cases since July.
Mayor de Blasio explained how officials have been working together to isolate the source of the disease, which is believed to be cooling towers which can harbor Legionnaires' bacteria in their water. He said the city had to identify all buildings with cooling towers in the South Bronx and found 161. It then isolated 39 in the "impact zone," and he said 12 of them tested positive for the bacteria and were then disinfected.
This number was later changed to 11, after one site was re-classified as being outside the impact zone. A total of 18 towers testing positive inside and outside the impact zone, according to press releases sent out by the city and state.
De Blasio said the slowdown in new cases is among several factors indicating the city's efforts have been successful.
"We also see it from the emergency room activity in the South Bronx," he said. "People are not coming in with pneumonia cases like they were previously."
Gov. Andrew Cuomo suggested that the city had missed an opportunity by not having a registry of all buildings with cooling towers. He also asked the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to get involved, and the state's health department set up an information tent in the South Bronx and helped the city test cooling towers over the weekend.
But if there was any rivalry between the two men — who have a history of tension — de Blasio was careful not to criticize Cuomo or his push for statewide rules for cooling towers.
He praised the city officials and defended their efforts, saying there was no "handbook."
"I think the honest truth here is all three levels of government have not encountered the dynamics of this disease in such a way as to cause them, any of them, to believe we have to register all cooling towers and do consistent regular inspections and cleaning," he said.
The mayor said additional testing of the bacteria found in the cooling sites would help the city further isolate the cause of the outbreak. Commissioner Bassett said she believes one or more of the first five towers that were identified with the bacteria are likely to be responsible. But she also noted that figuring out the source doesn't mean Legionnaires' cases "will go to zero."
"Every year we get sporadic cases," she explained. "What we are talking about here is this explosive outbreak that has clearly been associated with cooling towers."
No residential buildings are among those with towers that tested positive for the bacteria. Instead, they are larger governmental and commercial buildings that need cooling towers to keep their air-conditioning systems from overheating. The bacteria that causes Legionnaires' is thought to have escaped into the community through the mist, or exhaust, generated by the towers. Officials released a map showing the proximity of cases to towers that tested positive for the bacteria.
The City Council will hold a hearing Tuesday on legislation requiring building owners to register their cooling towers, have them inspected on a quarterly basis, and get them certified each year to prove they are safe. Council speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito said failure to comply will be "a major violation with a significant penalty."
The Council had not set the fines as of Monday. The full body is expected to vote on the legislation on Thursday.
Below is a list of the 11 Bronx sites within the zone that has been identified as of Monday.
Concourse Plaza, 198 E. 161st. St.
Opera House Hotel, 436 E. 149 St.
Lincoln Hospital, 234 E. 149th St.
Streamline Plastics, 2950 Park Ave.
Daughters of Jacob Nursing Home, 1160 Teller Ave.
Post Office, 558 Grand Concourse
Verizon, 117 E. 167th St.
Bronx Housing Courts, 1118 Grand Concourse
NYC Department of Education 455 Southern Boulevard. Also called Samuel Gompers High School.
DHS PATH Intake Center, 151 East 151st Street.
Bronx Hall of Justice, 245 E 161ST Street
The following sites have been identified as testing positive but are outside the impact zone and not related to the outbreak:
Three more locations had yet to be identified.
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