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Legionnaires’ outbreak in central Harlem is now over, NYC health department says
By
Giulia Heyward
Published Aug 31, 2025
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Ed Reed/Mayoral Photography Office
By
Giulia Heyward
Published Aug 31, 2025
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The Legionnaires’ outbreak in central Harlem is over, and those living or traveling through the area are no longer at a higher risk of contracting the occasionally fatal disease, city health officials said on Friday.
Since the first cases were reported in July, there have been 114 cases of Legionnaires in Central Harlem, health officials said. Seven people died, and six others remained hospitalized as of Aug. 28, health officials said.
The disease is a type of pneumonia contracted through inhaling mist containing Legionella bacteria, which can emanate from building cooling tanks containing warm, stagnant water, health officials said. Two city buildings were found to be the source of the local outbreak. A Gothamist analysis showed citywide inspections of cooling towers had been on the decline following health department staffing shortages.
All buildings in the Central Harlem area that tested positive for the Legionella bacteria are now fully cleaned and disinfected, NYC Health officials said.
The last time anyone residing or living in the area showed symptoms of the disease, which include fever, chills and cough, occurred on Sat., Aug. 9 — more than three weeks ago, according to a city health department press release.
The New York City mayor said people “should be able to breathe a sigh of relief” following the news.
“We must ensure that we learn from this and implement new steps to improve our detection and response to future clusters, because public safety is at the heart of everything we do, and we will never stop working to protect New Yorkers,” Eric Adams said in a statement on Friday. “This is an unfortunate tragedy for New York City and the people of Central Harlem as we mourn the seven people who lost their lives and pray for those who are still being treated.”
Adams’ administration said it is now proposing new changes to the city’s existing policy to hopefully avoid Legionnaires’ outbreaks in the future.
This could include hiring more water ecologists to inspect buildings, increasing how often building owners should test for Legionella and increasing fines for those who violate local laws and regulations on cooling towers.
The city health department also said it would complete a full review of its existing cooling towers rules.
Tagged
Legionnaires disease
central harlem
health
Giulia Heyward
Giulia Heyward is a breaking news reporter on the Day-Of desk. She previously worked at NPR, as a breaking news reporter, and the New York Times, as a reporting fellow on the national desk. Her work has also appeared in CNN, The Atlantic and Politico. Got a tip? Email [email protected] or more securely on signal at 917-715-1458.
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