Legionnaires' Disease Strikes Again At East Harlem Police Precinct, Police Say

EAST HARLEM, NY — A second police officer based at East Harlem's 23rd Precinct station house has tested positive for Legionnaires' Disease, an NYPD spokesman told Patch. The officer is not being hospitalized for the disease and is being treated on an outpatient basis, the NYPD spokesman said.

"Earlier this week, a second officer was privately tested at an urgent care center for legionella bacteria, with positive results. The officer did not require any hospitalization and is being treated with medication," NYPD Lieutenant John Grimpel said in a statement.

Tests for Legionnaires' Disease bacteria were conducted at the 23rd precinct station house in early June after one officer fell ill with the disease. Those tests came back negative, an NYPD spokesman told Patch. The NYPD and city New York City Health Department will conduct additional tests as a precautionary measure, police said.

Despite the sick officer, employees were told to continue coming to work so long as they avoided showering, drinking the cold water or using the cold water for cooking, the New York Times reported at the time.

The first 23rd Precinct officer who came down with Legionnaires' Disease had to be treated in the hospital.

The New York City Health Department has launched an investigation into what caused the Legionnaires' outbreak, but has not provided Patch with specific details.

Legionnaires’ symptoms include fever, cough, chills, muscle aches, headache, fatigue, loss of appetite, confusion and diarrhea and generally surface two to 10 days after contact with the bacteria Legionella. Common culprits in the spread of the Legionella bacteria include cooling towers, whirlpool spas, hot tubs, humidifiers, hot water tanks, and evaporative condensers of large air-conditioning systems, the Department of Health said.

Health Department investigators have ruled out a newly-installed cooling tower at the station house as the source of the bacteria, because it has not yet been activated, the Times reported in early June.

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