UPPER EAST SIDE, NY — A fourth person has died in connection with the Legionnaires' disease outbreak on the Upper East Side, as health officials said they believe the source of the community cluster has likely been eliminated.
The New York City Department of Health said Monday that the outbreak has now been linked to 76 cases of Legionnaires' disease.
Seven people remain hospitalized; 53 have been discharged from the hospital and 12 people were not hospitalized as of Monday.
The outbreak has been concentrated in the Upper East Side ZIP codes 10028, 10075 and 10128, where the city spent the past two weeks testing 183 cooling towers and ordering the disinfection of 76 buildings that screened positive for Legionella bacteria.
Health officials are still urging anyone who spent time in the three affected ZIP codes to seek medical attention if they develop flu-like symptoms, noting that Legionnaires' disease symptoms can appear up to 14 days after exposure.
The Health Department said it will continue investigating the outbreak and provide updates as they become available.
This is a developing story and will be updated. For questions, email Miranda.Levingston@Patch.com.
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