In the Bronx, Legionnaires Death Toll Rises to 10

NYC Mayor Bill De Blasio announced at a mayoral press conference on Thursday that the Bronx’s recent Legionnaires outbreak has now claimed 10 lives.

There have now been 10 deaths and 100 cases of Legionnaires’ disease in the South Bronx, the mayor says.

“We’ve never seen a situation like this before in New York City,” he says.

The Legionella bacteria that caused the outbreak was traced to five different water-cooling towers in the South Bronx.

According to ABC7NY, the following buildings had their cooling towers scrubbed after testing positive for the virus: Streamline Plastics Company, the Opera House Hotel, Concourse Plaza Mall, Lincoln Hospital and a Verizon office at 117 Street.

“We remain confident that the source of these current cases... is among the five locations that were identified and remediated,” the mayor says. “But today we’re going to take additional steps to protect our fellow New Yorkers.”

All buildings with a cooling tower in NYC will be required to test their cooling towers for Legionella within the next 14 days — a service that the New York City Department of Health (DOH) will be offering for free.

DOH officials tell reporters at Thursday’s press conference that they’ve been counting cooling towers throughout the city, to see what they might be dealing with. The count sits at 2,500 so far.

Legionnaires’ disease, or legionellosis, is a type of pneumonia that can grow and spread in warm water. According to the Centers for Disease Control, symptoms normally occur two to 14 days after contact and include fevers, headaches and muscle aches.

The DOH began receiving reports of Legionnaires cases about one month ago, on July 10.

Here are all the latest figures from the Legionnaires outbreak, via the DOH.

• Individuals with Legionnaires’ deceased: 10
• All deceased individuals were older adults and had additional underlying medical problems
• These patients are connected to the current cluster
• Reported individuals with Legionnaires’: 100
• Individuals with Legionnaires’ hospitalized: 92
• Of the 92, the number of individuals with Legionnaires’ treated and discharged: 53

“As we look at these numbers, these are people,” says DOH Commissioner Mary Bassett. ”This is the largest epidemic or outbreak that we’ve seen in new York City, and our thoughts are with the 10 families of people who have lost their lives.”

Before you freak out, school yourself: 5 Things to Know About Legionnaire’s Disease.