Several public buildings located in the Bronx district have been contaminated with Legionella. The authorities have started disinfection, but already 80 people have been infected with the bacteria, responsible for 7 deaths.
New York City has been struggling with a legionellosis epidemic since July 10, and the toll increased significantly over the weekend. Local authorities announced on Monday that three more people had died, bringing the death toll to seven. More than 80 people living in the South Bronx have already been infected. The authorities announced on Monday that they had identified five contaminated sites.
64 hospitalizations
In a communicated published on August 3, the city of New York specifies that the people who died from legionellosis were all elderly people who had health problems before this infection. Analyzes are underway to determine whether two of these deaths are actually due to Legionella, or due to other factors. Among the 80 people identified as having been infected with the bacteria Legionella (legionella), 64 had to be hospitalized; 28 have already been able to return to their homes.
The municipality is trying to avoid panic among the population of the Bronx, a popular district of New York, by regularly providing information on the situation, in particular through social networks. The city has reminded several times that tap and fountain water remains drinkable, and that municipal swimming pools are not contaminated. Temperatures are currently around 30 ° C in the metropolis and it is important that the population does not restrict its water consumption.
NYC’s drinking water supply is safe and unaffected by legionella. Get the facts on Legionnaires’ disease in NYC: http://t.co/AsOgZgVGaD
– NYC Mayor’s Office (@NYCMayorsOffice) August 4, 2015
Five sites identified
To allow as many people as possible to learn about this epidemic, which began in mid-July, the municipality organized a meeting this Monday evening, and distributed leaflets to invite everyone to come and ask questions to medical specialists in disease. The session was even broadcast live on the official website of the city.
According to the authorities, five sources of contamination have been discovered in the cooling systems of the air conditioning of public buildings, including the Lincoln Hospital and two hotels. Bill de Blasio, the mayor of New York, assured that the city had done everything to clean up infected sites, take care of infected people and raise public awareness through an active information campaign, reports the American daily. USA Today.
The attention of the inhabitants of the district has been drawn particularly to the symptoms of legionellosis (cough, fever, muscle pain, etc.) which should prompt them to consult quickly. The disease is not contagious and can be treated quickly in healthy individuals.
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