A fourth person has died in connection with the Legionnaires’ disease outbreak on Manhattan’s Upper East Side, city Health Commissioner Dr. Alister Martin said Monday.
The outbreak has sickened at least 74 people. Martin said no new cases have been diagnosed since July 15 and the last person known to have developed symptoms did so more than a week ago.
Health officials said those trends, along with emergency room surveillance data, suggest the source of exposure has likely been eliminated. The city is continuing to inspect cooling towers that tested positive for Legionella bacteria and enforce health regulations, officials said.
The outbreak has affected ZIP codes 10028, 10075 and 10128, covering parts of Carnegie Hill and Yorkville. Legionnaires’ disease is a type of pneumonia caused by inhaling water vapor contaminated with Legionella bacteria. It is not contagious.
