New York City health officials are investigating a cluster of 10 Legionnaires’ disease cases on the Upper East Side, the city health department said.
Officials confirmed the first two cases on Thursday. By Friday night, the count had grown to 10, all concentrated in the Carnegie Hill and Yorkville neighborhoods, officials said.
All cooling towers in the area are being tested, according to the department. The cluster, officials said, was not connected to plumbing and residents in the affected ZIP codes — 10028 and 10128 — could safely drink tap water, shower, cook and run air conditioners.
Past outbreaks, including a deadly one last summer, have been the result of the Legionella bacteria spreading through the air from mist let off by cooling towers.
