Yankee Stadium tower among 10 ordered cleaned as Bronx Legionnaires' cases rise
SOUTH BRONX (WABC) -- New cases have been identified in a growing Legionnaires' disease cluster in the South Bronx, and city health officials have ordered 10 cooling towers, including at Yankee Stadium, to be cleaned and disinfected after preliminary testing detected Legionella bacteria.
The New York City Health Department said nine people have now been diagnosed with Legionnaires' disease in connection with the cluster in the Melrose and Morrisania sections of the Bronx, up from five cases reported earlier in the week. One person has died, three people remain hospitalized, four have been discharged and one person did not require hospitalization.
As investigators work to identify the source of the outbreak, the city has ordered 10 cooling towers to undergo full remediation, including draining, cleaning and disinfection, by Monday.
Health officials said preliminary PCR testing detected the presence of Legionella bacteria at the sites, though the results do not confirm whether the bacteria were alive or whether any of the cooling towers are responsible for the outbreak. Additional culture testing is underway and could take up to two weeks.
The Health Department tested 24 cooling towers after launching the investigation on Sept. 10. Among the locations ordered to be cleaned is the cooling tower at 1 E. 161st St., the address of Yankee Stadium, along with nine other properties in the affected area.
Officials stressed there is no additional risk from being inside any of the buildings and that it remains safe to drink tap water, shower and use air conditioners in the impacted neighborhoods.
Health officials are urging anyone who lives, works or has visited the area since late August to seek medical attention if they develop symptoms including fever, chills, cough, muscle aches or shortness of breath.
Community outreach efforts have expanded in recent days, with health workers distributing more than 1,100 informational flyers and engaging hundreds of residents as the investigation continues.
The city's Health Department will host a virtual Town Hall at 3 p.m. Sunday, September 13, and an in-person Town Hall at 6 p.m. Tuesday at Metropolitan College in the Bronx.
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