NYC Legionnaires' Disease Death Toll Mounts: 2 Dead, 4 Hospitalized

NEW YORK CITY — Another person has died in a Bronx cluster of Legionnaires' disease, health officials said.

The outbreak in the Highbridge neighborhood has so far claimed two lives and infected 24 people, of whom four were hospitalized as of Wednesday, according to a Department of Health and Mental Hygiene announcement.

The first death was announced last week.

"The 2 individuals who passed were over the age of 50 and had risk factors for severe disease," the health department announcement states.

The cluster has slowly grown since officials first detected it May 3.

Cases have been detected in the 10452 and 10456 ZIP Codes, officials said. Four cooling towers have tested positive for the presence of Legionella pneumophila, a type of bacteria that causes Legionnaires’ disease.

All those towers have been disinfected, officials said.

Most people exposed to Legionnaires' disease-causing bacteria do not get sick. But infections for people at higher risk, such as those with pre-existing chronic health issues, can lead to severe illness or death.

The bacteria that causes the disease only grows in warm water, such as in cooling towers, and Legionnaires' disease is only transmitted by breathing in water vapor.

People who feel flu-like symptoms such as fever, chills, muscle aches and cough should immediately seek health care, officials said.

More information about Legionnaires' disease and the cluster can be found here.