The New York City Health Department announced on Saturday that a second person has died in an ongoing Legionnaires' disease outbreak. The outbreak, centered on Manhattan's Upper East Side, has resulted in 72 confirmed cases of infection and two fatalities. The first death related to this cluster was reported on Friday.
Legionnaires' disease is a severe form of pneumonia caused by Legionella bacteria, which frequently grows in warm, stagnant water sources. City health officials have focused their investigation on cooling towers in large building air conditioning systems. Property owners with towers that test positive for the bacteria have been ordered to drain and disinfect the equipment.
While a specific source of the outbreak has not been identified, Health Commissioner Dr. Alister F. Martin stated that a decline in new cases suggests the primary source of exposure has likely been eliminated. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the disease is treatable, though it carries an approximate 10% mortality rate. This event follows a 2025 outbreak in Harlem that resulted in seven deaths and over 100 illnesses.