Protecting families from contaminated food and water
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Protecting families from contaminated food and water
Posted in Legionella,Legionnaire's disease,Our Blog,Outbreaks & Recalls on July 31, 2025
Additional reports of New Yorkers with Legionnaires’ disease in Central Harlem prompts New York City Health Department to update residents. Including four deaths and nearly 20 people hospitalized. Overall initial case counts approached 20 and has since risen.
Initially, 11 building cooling towers were found with the deadly germ. The New York City Mayor has revealed the specific buildings that have been connected to the outbreak. Shockingly, one is a hospital.
Here’s what we know so far about New Yorkers with Legionnaires’ disease and what to do if you are one of them.
New York City Health Department has closed the investigation on the Central Harlem Legionnaires’ disease cluster.
Overall, 114 confirmed cases of Legionnaires’ disease were identified in this cluster. Collectively, 90 people were hospitalized. At least six remain in hospital. Seven people died.
The source of the outbreak was identified as two cooling towers. NYC Health + Hospitals/Harlem (Harlem Hospital) at 506 Lenox Avenue, and a nearby construction site. The construction site, located at 40 West 137th Street, was overseen by NYC Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) and a construction contractor, Skanska USA.
Impacted cooling towers have been sanitized and tested negative. It has been at least three weeks since the last reported new illness. The investigation has closed. According to Mayor Eric Adams, “New Yorkers should be able to breath a sigh of relief that residents and visitors to Central Harlem are no longer at an increased risk of contracting Legionnaires’ disease – but our job here is not done.”
New proposals have been made to strengthen the Legionnaires’ disease surveillance program and increase building requirements for cooling towers.
As of August 29, 2025, the number of confirmed cases has increased to 114.
Seven deaths have been connected to this outbreak.
Overall, there have been 90 people hospitalized.
Another confirmed case has been added, making it 113 people so far in this Legionnaires’ disease outbreak.
Seven people remain hospitalized and there are six deaths reported so far.
Parkchester South Condominiums are now being added to the investigation. New York City health officials have been notified that at least two residents using the same hot water system have been diagnosed with Legionnaires’ disease within a 12-month period.
There have now been at least 112 confirmed cases included in this Legionnaires’ disease outbreak.
An additional death has been reported, raising the number of deaths to six.
There are now seven people currently hospitalized.
As of 8/25/25, the last reported case (one) was reported on 8/13/25. (Note: Additional reported illnesses may be added, as it can take time for a sick person’s sample to be connected to an ongoing outbreak.)
The number of cases connected to this outbreak has risen to 108.
There are 14 people still hospitalized for their illness.
At least five deaths have been reported.
As of 8/15/25, the last reported cases (two) were reported on 8/12/25. (Note: Additional reported illnesses may be added, as it can take time for a sick person’s sample to be connected to an ongoing outbreak.)
On August 4, 2025, the New York City Health Department announced a community cluster of Legionnaires’ disease infections in Central Harlem. Shortly after, Make Food Safe informed our dear readers of initial reports of this preventable, deadly, pneumonia-like illness. Updates are being brought to you as they become available.
With this latest update, a significant number of cases have been added to the community cluster.
So far, 101 New Yorkers with Legionnaires’ disease have been announced for this outbreak investigation.
At least 24 have been hospitalized so far, with 15 people still hospitalized as of August 14, 2025. Four people have died.
New York City Health Department continues to investigate and order mitigation measures of implicated buildings.
Initial reports were vague as the New York City Health Department worked to identify specific buildings. However, certain zip codes in Central Harlem were narrowed down.
Zip codes 10027, 10030, 10035, 10037, and 10039 as well as bordering communities were placed under notice.
Initially, the Department identified 11 building cooling towers that had screening tests identifying the presence of Legionella bacteria. The list of buildings connected to this outbreak have now been identified.
A cooling tower is a type of heat exchange used in large buildings. It works differently than a traditional house’s HVAC system in that it uses water to cool air.
When water and air meet, a small amount of water is evaporated. This generates cool air that is pumped back into a condenser.
Cooling towers are more efficient in large buildings cooling big spaces.
At least 12 cooling towers from 10 Central Harlem buildings have been connected to New Yorkers with Legionnaires’ disease. Samples from these cooling towers have tested positive for Legionnaires’ disease and are genetically similar to bacteria in outbreak patient samples.
Some of the buildings, like the one owned by Whorton Properties houses numerous retails stores (including a Whole Foods grocery store). Others are housing complexes like Harlem City Condo. A school was also identified.
Even worse, some are hospitals or medical center complexes with different types of offices.
Perhaps the most surprising, however, is that there are city-owned buildings on the list.
Upon discovery of these New Yorkers with Legionnaires’ disease and the proximity of potential illness sources, The New York City Health Department opened an investigation. The Health Department began collecting samples and testing buildings in the area for Legionella bacteria. The germ responsible for Legionnaires’ disease.
Once a geographical area for these illnesses was discovered, the New York City Health Department began sampling area buildings looking for the presence of Legionella bacteria.
Initial reports indicated that “all operable cooling towers in the investigation area have been sampled, and the Health Department has directed building owner with initial positive screening results to initiate remediation within 24 hours.”
In an early press release, the Health Departments says that “the remediation required by the Department has been completed for the 11 cooling towers with initial positive screening results.”
Protocol dictates regular remediation efforts and additional testing until Legionella bacteria are eradicated from the water supply and cooling towers to reduce the risk of spreading Legionnaires’ disease.
Legionella bacteria are the cause of Legionnaires’ disease illnesses.
These microscopic germs typically live in natural water environments. Places like lakes, streams, and rivers.
Not something you typically find in the city. Let alone the population dense area of Central Harlem. So how do these deadly bacteria spread there?
It only takes a small number of these bacteria to cause a problem. Whether picked up on the wind, in fog, or some other debated way, they can make their way into cities.
You wouldn’t think that this small number of organisms can cause such a problem, but they can.
Things get serious when a small amount of those bacteria make their way into human-made water systems.
Very serious. Especially if buildings are not maintained.
According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 1 in 20 people exposed to Legionella bacteria will become sick. Rates of illness are high. And so is mortality rate. An unfortunate 1 in 10 will die from their infection.
Only specialized laboratory tests can accurately diagnose Legionnaires’ disease.
Legionnaires’ disease is often confused with other pneumonia-like illnesses, as many symptoms overlap for both conditions. It is even indistinguishable from typical pneumonia on a chest x-ray.
Urine antigen tests and PCR tests for sputum samples can accurately diagnose Legionnaires’ disease.
Often, urine antigen tests are performed when Legionnaires’ disease is suspected. If positive, additional tests are performed, including whole genome sequencing.
Legionnaires’ disease is a reportable illness. When a cluster of New Yorkers with Legionnaires’ disease is reported, the Health Department launches an investigation. In most cases, water samples are obtained from areas where sick people live, work, or have visited. Overlapping locations are evaluated.
If you live, work, or have visited the Central Harlem area, there are a few symptoms to look out for. Seek medical attention quickly, as your condition may worsen.
While severity of symptoms can vary from person to person, symptoms to look out for include:
Other Symptoms may include:
Most people begin feeling sick between two and 14 days after exposure. However, it can take longer for symptoms to appear in some cases.
Fortunately, Legionnaires’ disease is NOT contagious.
Only in extremely rare circumstances has person-to-person transmission been reported.
Nearly all cases of Legionnaires’ disease link back to contaminated water systems.
It is no surprise that Legionnaires’ disease is often misdiagnosed as typical pneumonia illness.
We are taught that when you hear the sound of hoof beats, think horses not zebras. Horses are more common in our area than zebras after all.
Most people presenting symptoms of Legionnaires’ disease, unless they have recently stayed in a hospital or an alert for Legionnaires’ disease illnesses have been distributed to healthcare providers, are diagnosed with pneumonia.
Because pneumonia is more common than Legionnaires’ disease.
Or is it?
Despite the number of Legionnaires’ disease cases rising over five-fold over the past two decades, Legionnaires’ disease is often overlooked as a possible diagnosis.
In fact, the number of Legionnaire’s disease diagnosed amounts to less than 10,000 cases each year in surveillance reports. New data suggests this statistic is significantly off.
In 2018 reports indicate that the true number of cases are estimated to be more than 50,000 per year.
Only about 36% of illnesses and 39% of hospitalizations and deaths are even captured in Legionnaires’ disease surveillance. Likely because sporadic cases (those not occurring in a publicly known cluster) are never tested for Legionnaires’ disease. For this reason, the sources of these infections are never identified in 90% of cases.
Based on the symptoms alone, someone sick with Legionnaires’ disease could be confused with any number of illnesses.
Flu, COVID, and typical pneumonia are the more likely suspects.
Despite a rather inexpensive urine antigen test being readily available, healthcare providers may repeatedly test the patient for COVID or flu before making the Legionnaires’ disease connection.
Legionnaires’ disease causes pneumonia. It has all the same symptoms. So wouldn’t treating for pneumonia also treat Legionnaires’ disease?
In a way.
Yes.
However, without specialized treatment recovery can be slow. This often leads to fatal illness.
The earlier specific antibiotic treatment is administered, the better the potential outcome.
Additionally, accurate diagnosis can help identify clusters of illnesses. Once discovered, a potential source may be identified. This prompts remediation efforts that can reduce additional illnesses.
Accurate diagnosis not only gives the patient a better potential outcome, but reduces risk of additional illnesses.
Timely diagnosis is important!
Not everyone who is exposed to Legionella bacteria will become sick. Most normally healthy individuals will not become infected. However, certain groups of people are at higher risk of infection if exposed.
These higher risk groups include:
Currently, there is no vaccine for Legionnaires’ disease. Previous illness offers very little immunity to this infection. It is possible to become infected multiple times with this illness. For this reason, prevention efforts are more important than ever.
Cooling towers have been implicated in this cluster of New Yorkers with Legionnaires’ disease. However, there are other ways to spread this deadly illness.
Some of the common sources of Legionella bacteria include:
If you are at high risk for Legionnaires’ disease or have certain risk factors for it, consider taking a bath instead of a shower if you live in Central Harlem right now. If possible, remove aeration devices from faucets. Use distilled water in CPAP machines. Do not use a water hose. Avoid hot tubs and walking near decorative fountains or water fixtures.
Minimizing your risk of inhaling aerosols or mists can help reduce your chances of getting the infection.
With initial reports of 11 building cooling tower systems being contaminated in the same geographical area, you may be wondering if Legionella bacteria can spread from one building to another.
The New York City Health Department indicates that incoming water through the municipal water supply is not the source of this outbreak. So, my thoughts fall more in line with the germ spreading from building to building.
Is that possible?
It absolutely is!
Treated water systems, when appropriately maintained, defend against Legionella bacterial contamination.
But these tiny microbes are light and can travel in mist from one building to another.
Just as these germs can hop on air particles of air conditioning air, mist from water fixtures, and other aerosolized sources inside buildings. This activity can also take place on tops of buildings where cooling towers are downwind.
In densely populated and sprawling metropolitan places like Central Harlem, these bacteria do not have to travel far to the next rooftop cooling tower.
Once contaminated, a cooling tower in a building can spread Legionella bacteria to other vulnerable buildings nearby. And so on and so on.
If properly safeguarded, Legionella bacteria should be killed before they can make people sick. But this isn’t always the case. Just ask these New Yorkers with Legionnaires’ disease.
Most state and local health departments have policies to prevent Legionnaires’ disease in large buildings. In an effort to prevent cases of New Yorkers with Legionnaires’ disease the New York City Health Department has their regulation for required maintenance own as well.
These protocols involve sanitation schedules, types of sanitation activities, and other aspects of Legionella control measures.
When building management does not follow these guidelines, people can get sick.
Several of the buildings connected to this deadly Legionnaires’ disease outbreak have been identified as city-owned. A detail heavily defended by Acting New York City Health Commissioner, Dr. Michelle Morse.
“The testing is important, and the maintenance is important, but even that rigorous schedule, there are still possibilities that bacteria can grow because of the conditions in warm weather,” said Morse.
The Health Department further defended themselves by pointing out that some of these implicated locations had previously tested negative on their routine cooling tower inspection schedule.
Fear is running high in Central Harlem. Especially for those at high risk for Legionnaires’ disease.
Mayor Adams presented an update at Harlem Hospital (one of the locations connected to the Legionnaires’ disease outbreak), where he attempted to reassure residents.
During this address, Adams drank water and breathed in the air at the Harlem Hospital.
“Our hearts go out to everyone impacted by this cluster of Legionnaires, in particular the friends and loved ones of the three New Yorkers we lost to this disease,” Adams said. “As of today, 11 of the 12 cooling towers in Central Harlem that tested positive for Legionella bacteria have completed remediation, and by tomorrow, all towers will have completed remediations. New Yorkers should know the air is safe to breathe, and we are seeing declining numbers of new cases each day. I want to thank the health workers who worked tirelessly to treat this community and make sure its residents are healthy. We will continue to share updates, and we encourage anyone with flu-like symptoms to seek medical help immediately.”
Note: An additional death was reported after this address.
If you become sick with pneumonia or flu-like symptoms after visiting or staying in the Central Harlem area, you may have Legionnaires’ disease.
The New York City Health Department urges “people who have been in the affected area since late July with flu-like symptoms, fever, cough, or difficulty breathing should seek immediate medical attention.”
“Anyone in these zip codes [10027, 10030, 10035, 10037, and 10039] with flu-like symptoms should contact a health care provider as soon as possible,” said Acting Health Commissioner Dr. Michelle Morse.
This is especially important for those who live, work, or have visited the buildings connected to this Legionnaires’ disease outbreak.
Legionnaires’ disease can be deadly. Do not wait!
Be sure to request a diagnostic test for Legionnaires’ disease. If your healthcare provider does not suggest one, notify them of the potential exposure risk. Advocate for yourself.
If you test positive for this illness, your local health department will be notified following your diagnosis. Someone may contact you about your illness to ask questions that may help narrow down a source or broaden the scope of the outbreak.
So far, the source of the outbreak has been narrowed down to within the Central Harlem area. There have been 11 buildings with Legionella bacteria in their cooling tower systems at the time of sampling. But this investigation is still ongoing. Investigators may ask you questions about where you worked, stayed, or visited in the two weeks prior to becoming ill.
The earlier that you can make this list, the more complete and accurate it will be. Have it ready in case you are asked for it.
This information is important, in that it could narrow or expand the scope of this Legionnaires’ disease investigation and help prevent further spread of this deadly infection.
If you have become sick from living, working, or visiting the Central Harlem area, you may have questions. An experienced Legionnaires’ disease lawyer understands your situation and can assist you through the complicated legal process.
If you have been seriously impacted by Legionnaires’ disease or are a family member of someone who has died from this preventable illness, a Legionnaires’ disease Lawyer can help you through this difficult process.
An experienced Legionnaires’ disease lawyer understands that certain evidence is critical to your case. They can obtain all relevant medical reports as well as those conducted by agency investigations. These reports will contain details that will support your claim. They can also interview witnesses and other victims who also acquired the disease to strengthen your case. In some situations, a Legionnaires’ disease lawyer will even investigate the scene of exposure to ensure all aspects of the situation are covered.
If needed, a Legionnaires’ disease Lawyer can hire qualified experts that can testify and provide their expert opinion on your situation.
An experienced Legionnaires disease Lawyer can estimate the value of your personal injury, including all financial burdens directly or indirectly experienced due to your illness. They will negotiate with the defendant’s insurance company to achieve the best possible outcome for you and represent you during your trial, if necessary. In many cases, claims are successfully handled outside of court through settlements. An experienced Legionnaires’ disease lawyer will ensure that any settlement you accept will be fair and appropriately compensate you for your illness.
If you wish to pursue a legal claim for financial compensation to cover medical expenses, lost work, caring for a loved one, or other burdens associated with Legionnaires’ disease illness, The Lange Law Firm, PLLC has a Legionnaires’ disease lawyer that can help.
Legionnaires’ disease is a preventable illness. This type of illness spreads when lapses in required maintenance allow the growth of this harmful microorganism.
Call (833) 330-3663 or send us an email for a free, no obligation consultation. A member of our compassionate team will go over the details of your case.
By: Heather Van Tassell (contributing writer, non-lawyer)