New York City health officials are investigating cases of Legionnaires’ disease at an apartment building in the Bronx.
The city health department said Monday it initiated a building evaluation at the Parkchester South Condominiums to address growth of the Legionella bacteria in its hot water supply.
A building evaluation is triggered when two or more residents test positive for Legionnaires’ disease within a 12-month timeframe and share a hot water system, health officials said.
Bronx investigation not related to Central Harlem cluster
The new investigation is not related to the Legionnaires’ outbreak in Central Harlem, where 113 people have gotten sick and at least six have died after the bacteria was found in cooling towers, officials said.
The Bronx cases are not linked to cooling towers and there is no risk to the surrounding communities, the health department said.
“While Legionella bacteria in the environment is common, Legionnaires’ disease is not a common disease. Among the 8.5 million people living in NYC, between 200 and 700 people are diagnosed with Legionnaires’ disease each year. Every case of Legionnaires’ disease is required to be reported to the Health Department, and our staff follow up on every report,” the health department said.
Legionella bacteria grows in warm, stagnant water and spreads through mist in the air, not by person-to-person transmission.
Symptoms can resemble the flu, including cough, fever, chills, muscle aches and shortness of breath. It can take up to two weeks for symptoms to show up. People over 50 and smokers are at greater risk.
The Harlem cases have been clustered around five ZIP codes: 10027, 10030, 10035, 10037 and 10039. The latest case was reported on Aug. 13, according to the city’s health data.