Latest statistics on the Legionnaires' outbreak in NYC

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Tuesday, August 4, 2015
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NEW YORK (WABC) -- Here are the latest statistics released from the New York City Department of Health on the Legionnaires' disease outbreak.



FACTS ABOUT LEGIONNAIRES' OUTBREAK



What the health department knows about the cases:


- Individuals with Legionnaires' deceased: 7


- All deceased individuals were older adults and had additional underlying medical problems


- Reported individuals with Legionnaires': 81


- Individuals with Legionnaires' hospitalized: 64


- Individuals with Legionnaires' treated and discharged: 28



Locations and Remediation:


- 22 buildings visited in the cluster area and 17 were identified to have cooling towers


- All 17 have been tested and all results have returned


- 5 buildings have tested positive



- Remediation has been completed at all 5 locations


- Lincoln Hospital remediation completed


- Concourse Plaza remediation completed


- Opera House Hotel remediation completed


- Verizon remediation completed


- Streamline Plastic Co. remediation completed



- All sites will submit long-term plans as to how they will maintain the cooling towers to protect against any future growth of Legionella - those plans are due Friday.


- New York City's drinking water supply and other water features, like fountains and pools, are safe throughout New York City and are unaffected by Legionella.



Ongoing DOHMH Actions:


- Continued monitoring for new cases


- Close collaboration with area hospitals


- Disease detectives conducting epidemiological investigation


- Interviews with all individuals reported with Legionnaires' to support source identification


- Providing updates to elected officials and Bronx residents


- Outreach to vulnerable populations - senior centers, homeless shelters, and other locations


- Monitoring of disinfection of affected cooling towers



Community Affairs Unit:


- Flyers were distributed this weekend to update Bronx residents about Monday's Town Hall and provide fact sheet on Legionnaires' disease - flyers in English and Spanish


- Flyers handed out at major Bronx hubs on Saturday and Sunday


- Continued communication with local elected officials


- Communication with local community boards 1, 2, 3, and 4


- Hosting Town Hall on Monday for area residents with Council Member Vanessa Gibson



Office of Emergency Management:


- Hosting daily inter-agency calls to coordinate operations


- As a precautionary measure, distributing messaging and information to OEM's Advanced Warning System distribution list - a collection of more than 4,000 healthcare and service providers


- Will be distributing health information throughout the week, including National Night Out events in the Bronx this Tuesday

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