Exclusive | NYC proposes stricter rules to combat Legionnaires' disease as Harlem outbreak sparks concerns

New York City will launch stricter rules for cooling towers after one of the worst Legionnaires’ outbreaks in years broke out in Harlem.

The city Health Department plans on ramping up enforcement, penalties and reporting requirements for building water systems that are considered the source of many cases of Legionnaires’ disease.

There have been three deaths and 81 infections reported in Harlem over the prior two weeks, with 24 people hospitalized. 5

Health Department officials, when contacted by The Post, insisted the amended rules for cooling towers were in the works before the Harlem outbreak , which they said has been brought under control.

The beefed up rules are scheduled to go into effect next spring.

In a notice posted in The City Record, regulators proposed amending