A second person has died in a legionnaires' disease outbreak on Manhattan's Upper East Side, according to New York City health officials. The outbreak has sickened at least 72 people, with nine still hospitalized and 50 discharged as of Saturday.
Health Department Confirms Second Death
New York City's health department announced the second death in a statement on Saturday. No details about the individual's identity, age, or illness timeline were provided, mirroring the announcement of the first death on Friday. The source of the outbreak has not been specifically identified, but officials expressed optimism that aggressive remediation efforts have stopped the exposure.
Dr. Alister F Martin, the city's health commissioner, stated there is "encouraging" data suggesting that "an aggressive strategy of testing, enforcement and remediation" aimed at air-conditioning cooling towers "appears to have stopped the source of exposure."
Cooling Tower Remediation
Cooling towers atop large buildings can release water vapor carrying Legionella bacteria. After two people were confirmed infected on 2 July, city officials directed all buildings with positive test results to immediately clean and disinfect their cooling towers. Every building has completed this work. Additionally, cooling tower operators were reminded of summertime requirements to increase biocide use to kill Legionella.
Testing identified either living or dead Legionella bacteria in cooling towers on more than 75 Upper East Side buildings, including museums, private schools, and apartment houses. The Guggenheim Museum was among 31 buildings with positive tests.
Decline in New Cases
The health department confirmed an average of more than eight new cases daily through 8 July. However, new cases dropped to fewer than one daily from 10 to 17 July. Martin's statement emphasized continued inspections and accountability for non-compliance with public health laws.
Legionnaires' Disease Background
Legionnaires' disease is a treatable form of pneumonia, but it kills about 10% of patients, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The bacteria grow in warm water and can proliferate in cooling towers, hot tubs, and showerheads. People contract the disease by inhaling tiny droplets of contaminated water; it does not spread person to person.
In August 2025, seven people died and more than 100 were sickened in a legionnaires' outbreak in New York's Harlem neighborhood. The disease was named after a 1976 outbreak in Philadelphia that primarily affected attendees of an American Legion convention.
