Legionnaires' disease outbreak in New York leaves seven dead
- 9 years ago
Staying in the U.S., and a health alert there...
New York City is dealing with a deadly outbreak of Legionnaires' disease that has prompted local health authorities to take emergency measures to tackle the situation.
Seven people have died and eighty-six people are so far confirmed to have been infected.
Sohn Jung-in has more.
The recent rise in the death toll from an outbreak of Legionnaires' disease prompted the mayor of New York to announce that the city's health authorities had things under control.
Bill de Blasio said the five buildings with cooling towers that tested positive for the bacteria Legionella, including one at Lincoln Hospital, had all been disinfected.
- Reuters edit no.: 2232
"At this moment we are confident based on the medical and scientific evidence that we have that we have identified the only sites that are causing this outbreak, and again, they have all been cleaned."
Since early last month, New Yorkers have been on alert following reports of the disease... that has been a persistent health problem in the country for years.
This outbreak is seen as more worrisome, however, with the largest number of cases on record in the city.
There's some positive news though, as health officials say the outbreak appears to have already reached its peak and cases will likely decline in the coming weeks.
The mayor reassured residents that the disease is not contagious but called on those showing symptoms to seek medical attention as soon as possible.
The disease, a severe kind of pneumonia, is contracted by breathing in mist from water infected with the Legionella bacteria from certain plumbing systems, including fountains, shower heads, pools or air conditioning cooling towers.
Symptoms of the illness,... which is most common in the summer and early fall, include fever, cough, headaches and muscle aches.
Sohn Jung-in, Arirang News.
New York City is dealing with a deadly outbreak of Legionnaires' disease that has prompted local health authorities to take emergency measures to tackle the situation.
Seven people have died and eighty-six people are so far confirmed to have been infected.
Sohn Jung-in has more.
The recent rise in the death toll from an outbreak of Legionnaires' disease prompted the mayor of New York to announce that the city's health authorities had things under control.
Bill de Blasio said the five buildings with cooling towers that tested positive for the bacteria Legionella, including one at Lincoln Hospital, had all been disinfected.
- Reuters edit no.: 2232
"At this moment we are confident based on the medical and scientific evidence that we have that we have identified the only sites that are causing this outbreak, and again, they have all been cleaned."
Since early last month, New Yorkers have been on alert following reports of the disease... that has been a persistent health problem in the country for years.
This outbreak is seen as more worrisome, however, with the largest number of cases on record in the city.
There's some positive news though, as health officials say the outbreak appears to have already reached its peak and cases will likely decline in the coming weeks.
The mayor reassured residents that the disease is not contagious but called on those showing symptoms to seek medical attention as soon as possible.
The disease, a severe kind of pneumonia, is contracted by breathing in mist from water infected with the Legionella bacteria from certain plumbing systems, including fountains, shower heads, pools or air conditioning cooling towers.
Symptoms of the illness,... which is most common in the summer and early fall, include fever, cough, headaches and muscle aches.
Sohn Jung-in, Arirang News.