2 cases of Legionnaires' disease reported at Queens building

REGO PARK, Queens (WABC) -- Two cases of Legionnaires' disease are under investigation at a building in Queens.

Officials say the patients were diagnosed within six months of each another at the Hampton Houses on 93-10 Queens Boulevard in Rego Park.

One patient remains hospitalized, the other has since been discharged. New York City health officials are working with building management to test the building's water supply.

Building management informed residents back on August 22, and health officials followed up with door-to-door visits and a building-wide meeting. They are now investigating the building's water supply, but they believe the infection risk to be low. Still, those who are most vulnerable are those over the age of 50 or those with weakened immune systems.

Vulnerable residents are advised to take baths instead of showers in order to limit exposure to water vapors. The disease is usually easily treated with antibiotics, but a South Bronx Legionnaire's outbreak in 2015 killed 12 residents and sickened more than 100. That outbreak was linked to cooling towers, which this building does not have.

Legionnaires' disease, which comes from the legionella bacteria, is normally found in the water system. The city gets about 200 to 400 reported cases of the illness every year, so it is not considered incredibly uncommon.