City To Release Addresses Of Buildings With Positive Legionella Tests On UES

UPPER EAST SIDE, NY — New York City will begin publicly naming buildings whose cooling towers initially test positive for Legionella bacteria as officials ramp up their response to the Upper East Side Legionnaires' disease outbreak that has sickened at least 28 people.

Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who announced the new protocol Tuesday night, said the new emergency measures respond to calls for greater transparency and faster remediation as the city works to stop the outbreak at its source.

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Under the new policy, the city will publicly release the addresses of buildings whose cooling towers receive positive initial PCR screening tests for Legionella bacteria.

Building owners will also be ordered to immediately drain, clean and disinfect affected cooling towers rather than wait for confirmatory testing, a process that can take up to two weeks.

"When there's a public health threat, New Yorkers deserve urgency and transparency from their government," Mamdani said in a statement. "That's why we're using every tool available to protect people by moving quickly to identify potential sources of exposure, requiring immediate remediation and making sure New Yorkers have the information they need to keep themselves and their families safe."

As of July 7, 28 people had been diagnosed with Legionnaires' disease connected to the cluster, and 21 had been hospitalized.

The Health Department launched its investigation July 2 after identifying two cases in Carnegie Hill and Yorkville, in ZIP codes 10028 and 10128.

The investigation expanded July 5 to include ZIP code 10075 after a confirmed case in the area.

Health officials have mobilized more than 100 staff members to investigate the outbreak. As of July 6, inspectors had collected samples from 139 cooling towers in the investigation area.

Approximately 160 cooling towers are registered across the three affected ZIP codes, though not all are operating.

Cooling towers release mist into the outdoor air and have been linked to previous Legionnaires' disease outbreaks in New York City.

Under previous protocols, buildings with positive preliminary PCR tests were typically instructed to increase disinfectant levels while awaiting laboratory culture results.

Under the city's new emergency policy, building owners must fully clean and disinfect cooling towers immediately after a positive screening result to reduce the risk of continued exposure.

"More than 100 NYC Health Department staff members have worked nonstop since the start of this cluster as we take aggressive action to ensure that we are cutting off the source of exposure as quickly as possible," Health Commissioner Dr. Alister Martin said.

Officials are urging anyone who has lived, worked or visited the affected area since late June to contact a health care provider if they develop symptoms such as fever, cough or difficulty breathing.

Legionnaires' disease is a severe form of pneumonia caused by Legionella bacteria, which thrive in warm water systems. People become infected by inhaling contaminated water droplets; the disease cannot spread from person to person.

Health officials stressed that it remains safe to use air conditioners, cooling centers and tap water in the affected area because cooling tower mist is released outdoors and does not affect indoor air conditioning systems or building plumbing.

For questions, email Miranda.Levingston@Patch.com.