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10 Dead, 100 Hospitalized In Legionnaires' Outbreak In The Bronx
By
Rebecca Fishbein
Published Aug 7, 2015
Modified Jun 6, 2018
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By
Rebecca Fishbein
Published Aug 7, 2015
Modified Jun 6, 2018
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The Legionnaires' Disease outbreak that has plagued residents in the South Bronx for the last month has claimed 10 victims and sent 100 to local hospitals, according to the most recent statement sent out by officials. Authorities are attempting to stymie further outbreak, having ordered tests of water-cooling towers citywide—meanwhile, family members of victims say the city could have done more to prevent a near-epidemic.
In an update sent by City Hall last night, authorities confirmed that 100 New Yorkers were hospitalized due to Legionnaires', though more than half have since been released. 10 have succumbed to the pneumonia-like disease—health officials say the majority of the victims were "elderly or already suffering from underlying medical problems."
Over the past few weeks, city inspectors have found legionella bacteria in the cooling towers of five building towers—Lincoln Medical Center, Concourse Plaza, Opera House Hotel, a Verizon building and Streamline Plastic Co. Those towers have since been cleaned, but yesterday Health Commissioner Mary T. Bassett ordered building managers and owners to assess and disinfect all cooling towers in the city within the next 14 days. "Everyone understands that the outbreak has been limited to one community in our city, but we are doing this out of an abundance of caution," Mayor de Blasio said at a press conference yesterday.
Governor Cuomo has also addressed the outbreak, offering free bacteria testing for buildings with cooling towers courtesy of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The CDC plans to meet with state Health Commissioner Howard Zucker in Manhattan today—Cuomo apparently contacted the agency after Bronx Borough President Diaz Jr. pleaded with him to conduct further tests in the Bronx. "Testing has only been done in four neighborhoods," Diaz said yesterday.
Meanwhile, though the outbreak has been particularly virulent since July, the family of a Bronx man who died of Legionnaires' disease in April says the city failed to investigate his death at the time, and may have been able to save more lives had they not ignored him. As reported by DNAinfo, 52-year-old teacher, pianist and marathoner James Rouse died one week after being diagnosed with Legionnaires' at the end of April.
Rouse had been hospitalized at Beth Israel Hospital and died there, even though doctors were sure he'd recover—his family members say the Health Department did not look into his death, even though they repeatedly asked officials to do so.
And another person stricken with the disease, 36-year-old Marvin Montgomery, plans to sue the city for compensation—family members of another victim, 68-year-old Carmelo Quiles, say city officials should have paid for medical and funeral expenses.
Tagged
legionnaires
Legionnaires disease
outbreak
South Bronx
Rebecca Fishbein
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