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Mamdani unveils new measures to halt Legionnaires’ after outbreak kills 11
By
Caroline Lewis
Published Sep 1, 2026
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Lindsey Nicholson/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images
By
Caroline Lewis
Published Sep 1, 2026
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Mayor Zohran Mamdani is unveiling a slate of new initiatives to prevent and manage future Legionnaires’ outbreaks, just ahead of a City Council hearing Wednesday where city officials will face questions about their handling of this summer’s deadly outbreak of the disease on the Upper East Side.
The latest outbreak of the severe form of pneumonia has killed 11 people, exceeding the death toll from last year’s Legionnaires’ outbreak in Harlem, which killed seven.
The measures Mamdani announced Tuesday morning target water-cooling towers, which can foster the disease-causing Legionella bacteria if they’re not properly maintained.
Mamdani said the city health department will coordinate with the Department of Buildings to identify cooling towers that have not been properly registered with the city and fast-track administrative hearings for cooling-tower violations in order to bolster enforcement of the city’s regulations around maintenance and testing.
The mayor also said the city will convene a scientific advisory panel to evaluate emerging cooling tower technology and alternative cooling systems for buildings, and will explore faster methods of testing cooling towers for Legionella — a key part of the city’s efforts to investigate outbreaks.
“Our response to the Upper East Side cluster was fast and aggressive, and we are building on what we learned to make our systems stronger, enforcement faster and public health response more transparent,” Mamdani said in a statement.
City Health Commissioner Dr. Alister Martin has said that the source of the Upper East Side outbreak has been eliminated, meaning there’s no longer an increased risk of contracting the disease for residents or visitors to the area. But the city is still working to identify which cooling tower actually caused the outbreak.
Council Speaker Julie Menin and several other councilmembers have criticized the city’s response. They are calling for better communication with New Yorkers and more aggressive enforcement of cooling tower regulations, and are proposing new local laws around Legionnaires’ that will be discussed at Wednesday’s hearing.
One bill introduced by Councilmember Lynn Schulman, the health committee chair, would require more frequent cleaning of cooling towers, with at least three required during the summer months when Legionella bacteria tends to thrive.
Other bills that have been introduced aim to improve the city’s response to outbreaks, including setting up dedicated testing sites for those who develop symptoms of Legionnaires’ disease and maintaining a dedicated hotline for New Yorkers to get information about the disease.
Councilmember Kamillah Hanks introduced legislation that appears similar to the initiative Mamdani announced, requiring more interagency coordination between the health department and Department of Buildings to identify unregistered towers. One of the two cooling towers that caused last year’s outbreak in Harlem was an unregistered tower at a city-owned construction site.
Experts say New York City already has among the most stringent cooling-tower regulations in the world, with requirements around testing and maintenance to prevent the growth of Legionella. But Gothamist found last year that city inspections of cooling towers, which are designed to ensure those regulations are being followed, had declined due to understaffing. It’s an issue the city was still working to remedy as the city began working to contain the Upper East Side outbreak in early July.
Tagged
Health and Science
Legionnaires disease
new york city
Caroline Lewis
Caroline Lewis is on the health care beat for WNYC and Gothamist. She has covered COVID, a nurses' strike, the overdose crisis and New York’s marijuana legalization effort, and spent a year investigating patients' medical bills. She always wants to hear about how everyday New Yorkers experience the health system. Got a tip? Email [email protected].
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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