New York authorities are currently studying 27 cases of Legionnaires' disease in Manhattan, reported the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.
Cases have increased in recent weeks in an area of Lower Washington Heights, following the diagnosis of eight people in early July
Legionnaires' disease is a type of pneumonia caused by exposure to the bacteria Legionella . The bacteria thrive in hot water and can grow and spread in water systems such as shower heads, cooling towers and hot water tanks, reports the CDC.
People breathing water vapor. symptoms such as fever, cough and muscle aches. However, most people who come in contact with the bacteria do not get sick.
People aged 50 and over are at greater risk of illness, as are smokers, immunocompromised people, cancer, chronic lung diseases, and others. Underlying health conditions, CDC reports.
Most people with legionnaires need to be treated in a hospital, CDC reports. In rare cases, the disease can be fatal, but the vast majority of people receiving appropriate treatment will return to complete health.
The disease is not usually contagious, but the health agency says the human-to-human transmission "
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" Then that most people exposed to Legionella do not get sick, people aged 50 and above, especially those who smoke and who suffer from chronic lung conditions, are at greater risk high, "said Mary T Bassett, health commissioner in New York, in a statement released earlier this month." This disease is very treatable with antibiotics and I encourage anyone with symptoms of Legionnaire's disease to be treated early. "
Meanwhile, routine testing revealed the presence of bacteria Legionella in the water supply of a hospital in the Bronx [19659002] "The routine, required tests of our drinking water supply found very low levels of bacteria Legionella at NYC Health + Hospitals / Jacobi," says a hospital statement shared with "According to the guidelines of the New York State Department of Health, which regulates hospitals, we have taken steps to avoid any impact on our patients, staff, or visitors."
Read the Salmonella recalls: Ritz, Goldfish The risks to staff, patients and visitors to the Jacobi Medical Center are low, the authorities at the point of sale said, and no patient seems to have developed legionnaires' disease. get to the hospital. Cooling tower of a large air conditioning system. Such systems have been linked to outbreaks of Legionnaires' disease in the past. Getty Images
The city of New York experienced a deadly explosion of legionaries in 2015 that affected hundreds of people and killed 16 people, according to the CDC. Investigators have finally traced the outbreak to the cooling tower of a hotel
The New York City health department did not immediately respond to a request from comment.
