New York City Health Department declares Harlem Legionnaires' outbreak officially over
HARLEM, Manhattan (WABC) -- The New York City Health Department declared the Legionnaires' outbreak in Central Harlem officially over on Friday.
Officials said that there have been no new Legionnaires' cases in two weeks, the maximum incubation period, which gives the city confidence that the community cluster has ended.
"We are able to announce the end of our investigation because there have been no new associated cases for over two weeks and our team of scientists completed every possible step of the testing process," said Acting Health Commissioner Dr. Michelle Morse.
Over the last three weeks, a total of 114 cases were identified, 90 people were hospitalized and seven people died. Six people remain hospitalized.
At least 90% of those infected had a known risk factor like being over 50, smoking, living with a chronic condition or compromised immune system, according to officials.
The NYC Health Department investigated the outbreak in Central Harlem, in areas covered by ZIP codes including 10027, 10030, 10035, 10037, and 10039.
They say Legionella bacteria recovered from cooling towers at both Harlem Hospital and a construction site leased by the city's Economic Development Corp. have been genetically matched to cases of the Legionnaire's community cluster.
The Health Department's Public Health Laboratory used cutting edge molecular analysis to match the strain found in seven patients to the Legionella strain found in cooling towers located at those two locations.
The Health Department says that all facilities with cooling towers in the cluster area fully cooperated, and those with Legionella positive test results completed full cleaning and disinfection as directed.
The Adams administration says it is proposing a package of resources and policy changes to further reduce the risk of future clusters.
It includes the following:
In addition to these proposals, the Health Department is undergoing a full review of the city's cooling tower rules to further strengthen city regulations.
However, Andrew Cuomo on Friday said the city cannot regulate itself and again called for an independent review by the New York State Health Department.
"New Yorkers deserve complete confidence that the regulations designed to protect their health are being followed-whether by private landlords or City government itself," Cuomo said. "With the source of this outbreak now tied to a city-run facility, it is all the more important that an independent review be undertaken to ensure accountability, transparency, and public trust."
* Get Eyewitness News Delivered
* Download the abc7NY app for breaking news alerts
Submit a tip or story idea to Eyewitness News
Have a breaking news tip or an idea for a story we should cover? Send it to Eyewitness News using the form below. If attaching a video or photo, terms of use apply.
