A Legionnaires’ disease outbreak in New York City has resulted in two deaths and 58 reported illnesses since late July.

The city’s health department reported that the bacteria that causes Legionnaires’ disease was found in 11 cooling towers in the Central Harlem area of Manhattan. Those towers are mainly used to cool buildings by evaporating water, which helps reduce the temperature of the building’s cooling system.

While there are no recent cases indicating an outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease in California (the most recent death in the state was in 2023, when two people died after contracting the Legionella bacteria in a Richmond spa), it is useful to know what provokes and how to avoid the disease.

In June 2024, the Legionella bacteria was detected in a state office complex in

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