Harlem residents have endured a number of stressful weeks since a Legionnaires’ disease outbreak struck the community this summer. Ninety people were sickened by the pneumonia-like illness, according to the city’s Department of Health and Mental Hygiene; 15 of the victims wound up being hospitalized, and three of them died.

But the community received good news at a Tuesday night town hall meeting. According to acting Health Commissioner Dr. Michelle Morse, the number of Legionnaires cases has been on a decline, meaning that the measures taken to curb the spread of the Legionella bacteria that causes the illness were working.

What were those measures? Inspecting and cleaning cooling towers on the rooftops around the community. Legionella thrives in warm, humid environments, and cooling to

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