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12 Deaths in NY Legionnaires’ Outbreak

12 Deaths in NY Legionnaires’ Outbreak
12 Deaths in NY Legionnaires’ Outbreak

The death toll has risen to 12 from an unprecedented outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease in New York that saw 113 people contract the form of pneumonia, officials said Monday. Around 76 people have been treated and discharged from hospital since the outbreak in July in South Bronx, a less prosperous part of New York City. “The outbreak is tapering off,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio, repeating remarks at the weekend that the illness was on the wane, reports AFP. The disease is spread by bacteria, discovered in the cooling towers of 13 buildings in the South Bronx area. All have since been cleaned and disinfected. Officials have stressed that the dead were all older patients with pre-existing medical conditions. Legionnaires’ disease is not contagious and can be treated with antibiotics. The serious pulmonary infection is spread by bacteria that thrive in warm water, such as that found in hot water pipes, air-conditioning systems and industrial ponds.

 

Financialtribune.com