16

New York , NY – A Legionnaires’ disease outbreak in Central Harlem has left 67 people sick and three dead since late July, prompting renewed demands for New York City to overhaul its prevention strategy and address the bacteria from water source to tap.

The Alliance to Prevent Legionnaires’ Disease says the city’s current approach, guided by Local Law 77 since 2015, focuses too narrowly on inspecting and disinfecting building cooling towers after bacteria is already present, instead of preventing its entry into water systems in the first place.

Legionnaires’ disease is a severe pneumonia caused by inhaling water droplets contaminated with legionella bacteria. The group points to research linking heavy rainfall to outbreaks, noting that Harlem experienced some of the city’s mo

See Full Page