Legionnaires' disease has left at least 12 people hospitalized in New York City as health officials open an investigation into what has caused the outbreak in the nation's largest city, Fox News reported.
Five people remain hospitalized since the outbreak after health officials released seven who came down with the disease, Fox News stated. The cases were reported in the Flushing, Queens over the past two weeks with those infected ranging in ages from their 30s to 80s, the broadcaster stated.
Legionnaires' disease was first diagnosed in 1976 when an outbreak of severe pneumonia (lung infection) affected participants of the American Legion Convention in Philadelphia, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention stated.
Legionella pneumophila was spread through the hotel's air conditioning system, affecting more than 130 people and killing 25, the CDC stated. Some 5,000 cases of Legionnaires' disease are reported each year in the U.S. People get infected by breathe in mist containing the bacteria, the CDC noted.
"The health department is currently investigating a cluster of Legionnaires' disease cases in the downtown Flushing area of Queens, and I urge individuals in this area with respiratory symptoms to seek medical attention right away," New York City health commissioner Mary T. Bassett said in a statement.
"People over the age of 50 and people with compromised immune systems are especially at risk. As with our previous Legionnaires' disease investigations, we are in the process of investigating the source of the cluster and are working with building owners in the area to rapidly test and clean cooling towers," Bassett continued.
The health department said in its statement that it has sampled all cooling towers in the investigation zone and are being tested. Positive results from the first step of the test will enable the department to identify towers that potentially have bacteria capable of making people sick, the statement continued
The owners of those buildings identified after the test will be ordered to immediately increase the level of biocides that kill the Legionella bacteria or to change to a new biocide and report to the department within 24 hours, the health department stated said.
The health department said there have been no deaths reported from the current outbreak.
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