UPPER EAST SIDE, NY — As landlords race to disinfect the remaining 19 cooling towers that tested positive for Legionella on the Upper East Side by the end of Thursday, many residents are wondering what it means if their apartment building, workplace or a favorite neighborhood business appears on the city's list.
Health officials stress that a building's inclusion on the list — which includes 76 buildings in total — does not mean it has been identified as the source of the outbreak, which began July 2 and has sickened 63 people so far.
Instead, the list identifies buildings where an initial screening detected Legionella bacteria, prompting the city to order immediate cleaning and disinfection while more definitive culture testing continues to determine whether live bacteria are present and whether any tower is linked to the outbreak.
So far, 57 of the 76 cooling towers have been disinfected, with the remaining 19 expected to be remediated by the end of Thursday, officials said.
In the meantime, Patch spoke with Dr. Dana Mazo, an infectious disease specialist at NYU Langone Health, about what the list means — and what residents should and shouldn't worry about.
The city is using two different tests to investigate cooling towers.
The first, called a PCR test, detects DNA from Legionella bacteria. A positive result confirms the bacteria's genetic material is present but does not determine whether the bacteria are alive or capable of causing illness.
The second test, known as a culture test, can take up to two weeks. It determines whether live Legionella bacteria are present and, if so, how much is in the cooling tower. Those results will help investigators determine whether any of the buildings are actually linked to the outbreak.
"Knowing where some of the addresses where it's tested positive, it can help sort of localize the exposure a little bit," Mazo said. "Someone can say, 'Hey, I work in that building and I have these symptoms,' or, 'I live near that building.'"
Residents don't need to pressure building managers to take action. Any building that receives a positive PCR test is immediately ordered by the city to drain, clean and disinfect its cooling tower — even before culture results are available.
"If it's tested positive, they are doing remediation and cleaning," Mazo said.
Health officials have said they expect the latest round of cleanings to be the final remediation effort needed to contain the outbreak, which is contained to ZIP codes 10028, 10128 and 10075.
Yes.
The outbreak is linked to contaminated mist released from cooling towers — not drinking water, home plumbing or residential air-conditioning units.
"You can still drink water, bathe, cook. You can still use the water. You can still use your air conditioning," Mazo said.
City health officials have also said splash pads, swimming pools and playground sprinklers remain safe to use.
Not necessarily.
Mazo said the overall risk to the public remains low. However, knowing whether you've spent time near one of the buildings can help you and your doctor evaluate possible exposure if you develop symptoms.
"The overall risk to the public is still low," she said. "However, if you have spent time in these neighborhoods, the key thing to do is to monitor yourself for the symptoms."
Legionnaires' disease is a severe form of pneumonia caused by Legionella bacteria, which thrive in warm, humid environments such as cooling towers.
People become infected by breathing in contaminated mist. The disease does not spread from person to person.
Symptoms typically include fever, chills, cough, muscle aches, and shortness of breath. Some people also experience headaches, fatigue, loss of appetite, confusion or diarrhea.
People who are 50 or older, smoke or vape, have chronic lung disease or have weakened immune systems are at the highest risk of becoming seriously ill, officials said.
In addition to residents of the three affected ZIP codes, anyone who visited the east side of Central Park between East 76th and East 97th streets since late June should monitor themselves for symptoms, officials said.
The disease is extremely rare in children, and never present in pets, health officials said.
Health officials recommend that anyone who has spent time in ZIP codes 10028, 10128 or 10075 — including visitors to the east side of Central Park between East 76th and East 97th streets — monitor themselves for symptoms.
"If you develop those symptoms, make sure to call your physician or get evaluated at urgent care," Mazo said. "If you're really sick, go to the emergency department."
For questions, email Miranda.Levingston@Patch.com.
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