All articles tagged with #legionella
New York City health officials say several buildings, including the Guggenheim Museum, have tested positive for Legionella amid an ongoing outbreak, with authorities directing remediation efforts such as cooling-tower disinfection.
An outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease has sickened 54 people on Manhattan’s Upper East Side, prompting widespread testing of building cooling towers in the area, including at the Guggenheim museum, whose cooling tower is among 31 towers citywide that have tested positive for Legionella as investigators search for a common source.
NYC health officials identified 31 Upper East Side buildings with Legionella bacteria in cooling towers, including the Guggenheim, and ordered deep cleaning for 12 more after 18 others had already remedied tainted towers. At least 46 people have been diagnosed with Legionnaires’ disease and 22 remain hospitalized; PCR tests cannot determine if the bacteria are alive. The investigation continues, and more buildings could be added to the list while city officials say it’s safe to use air conditioning and cooling centers during remediation.
An Upper West Side co-op, The Ardsley at 320 Central Park West, confirmed Legionella in its hot-water system and will disinfect and flush the system on July 16 after a building-commissioned assessment; residents were told to avoid hot water during the process, while city officials note Legionella is not spread by drinking water and there is no confirmed illness linked to The Ardsley, as a separate Upper East Side outbreak tied to cooling towers continues to be monitored.
New York City health officials said 31 Upper East Side cooling towers preliminarily tested positive for Legionella as a Legionnaires’ disease outbreak sickens 46 people. Nineteen towers have been cleaned, with 12 more ordered to finish remediation by Saturday; lab results on live bacteria will take additional time as culture testing proceeds. The outbreak centers in Carnegie Hill and Yorkville, and addresses including the Guggenheim, Asphalt Green, Whole Foods, and Trevor Day School are on the list, though officials stress there is no extra risk inside buildings. Exposure occurs via cooling-tower mist, not building plumbing, and more cases could be identified as investigations continue. No deaths have been reported; 22 are hospitalized, 19 discharged, and 5 not hospitalized."
New York City health officials say 31 Upper East Side buildings, including the Guggenheim, have cooling towers that tested positive for Legionella amid an ongoing outbreak. Some sites have already been cleaned; 183 towers have been tested. The outbreak has produced 46 Legionnaires’ disease cases with 22 hospitalizations across ZIP codes 10128, 10028, and 10075, with no deaths reported. Authorities will continue culture analyses and genome sequencing to identify live bacteria and match strains to patients, and more towers are to be remediated by the weekend. Residents and visitors in the area are advised to seek medical care if symptoms appear.
New York City is contending with a Legionnaires' disease outbreak linked to cooling towers, with 46 cases and about 22 hospitalizations. The health department has launched an aggressive effort to test the area’s water towers and requires buildings to disinfect cooling towers after any positive test. Residents are advised to monitor for symptoms and seek care if needed; officials note masking and keeping windows closed may help in the epicenter, and warming temperatures could worsen future outbreaks.
City officials will release the list of buildings with positive cooling-tower tests tied to a Legionnaires' outbreak on the Upper East Side as health investigators search for the source; about 150 towers have been tested, 46 people have contracted the illness with 22 hospitalized, and building at 1511 Third Avenue tested positive by PCR, triggering disinfection orders while the inquiry continues.
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani pledges to publicly release the addresses of buildings with Legionella-positive cooling towers as the city investigates a pneumonia outbreak on the Upper East Side that has infected 28 people (21 hospitalized) with no deaths; 139 of 160 cooling towers have been tested so far, and officials caution that initial PCR positives don’t prove live bacteria, with culture and genome sequencing needed to confirm links, while residents are urged to seek medical care if symptomatic.
New York City's cooling-tower inspections and required Legionella tests have risen only modestly since last year’s near-record lows, even as a new Legionnaires’ disease cluster takes hold in Manhattan. Data show thousands of towers remain uninspected or without test records in 2026, and about half of outbreak-area towers went more than a year without city inspection. The health department has added staff and enacted a 31-day testing mandate (effective May 8), but compliance remains uneven as officials focus inspections on affected blocks during a heat wave that increases Legionella risk.
New York City health officials are investigating a Legionnaires' disease cluster on the Upper East Side, with 23 confirmed cases and 17 hospitalizations; the source has not yet been identified but cooling towers are under scrutiny and remediation has begun across about 160 towers in the area. Legionella spreads via water vapor, not person-to-person, and residents are advised to see a doctor if flu-like symptoms develop. Building owners are required to clean and test cooling towers; more cases may surface given the incubation period.
Public health investigators linked a Legionnaires disease case in a 10‑month‑old infant with an immunocompromising condition to a home powdered formula mixer. Legionella pneumophila serogroup 1 was found in the device reservoir and in household water; the device stored warm water (106°F) and had not been drained for over 30 days, creating conditions favorable for bacterial growth. Guidance recommends heating water to ≥158°F (70°C) for reconstituting powdered formula for immunocompromised infants, cooling before feeding, and urges manufacturers to modify device instructions/design to minimize Legionella amplification.
Fifty years after the Bellevue-Stratford Hotel outbreak, scientists identified Legionella pneumophila as the cause and learned it thrives in biofilms in water systems and can become airborne in aerosols; while building-water management, rapid diagnostics, and modern antibiotics have reduced risk, outbreaks persist due to diverse Legionella species, aging infrastructure, and environmental factors.
Health officials issued a precautionary advisory for Haven Plaza tenants in the East Village after two residents were diagnosed with Legionnaires’ disease within the last year; water-system testing is underway and residents are advised to limit exposure to water vapor (e.g., avoid showers) while investigators assess the building’s water system, with management retaining a water-systems consultant and results to be reported to the NYC Health Department.
Two patients at the Pittsburgh VA Medical Center tested positive for Legionella, prompting flushing, testing, and water-line precautions after a past 2011–2012 outbreak. The Allegheny County Health Department has not been notified, and testing positive for Legionella does not automatically mean Legionnaires’ disease. The hospital says care was not interrupted and it’s operating normally, while a prior VA Inspector General report found earlier lapses in water treatment and adherence to guidance, with recommendations implemented subsequently.