Health officials in New York City are investigating a Bronx apartment complex after two residents tested positive for Legionnaires’ disease.
The city health department began an evaluation of the Parkchester North Condominiums after it said two residents tested positive for Legionnaires’ disease within 10 months.
The Legionella bacteria are growing in the building’s hot water system, and were identified after officials investigated the building’s engineering systems, the NYC Health Department said in a statement.
The department said it is working with the building for “extensive remediation,” which can go on for months or years. In the meantime, the Health Department said it has provided recommendations to residents about how to safely use the water supply while reducing their risk of contracting Legionnaires’ disease.
Across the Harlem River, at least six people have died and more than 100 people have been sickened recently from a Legionnaires’ cluster that has plagued the area this summer.
A lawsuit filed last week alleges that a pair of construction companies cut corners and caused a “completely preventable” outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease in Harlem.
Legionnaires’, a type of pneumonia, is caused by the bacteria Legionella, which grows in warm water. Symptoms typically appear between two and 10 days after exposure to the bacteria and can include headache, muscle aches, shortness of breath, cough, and fever.
It is not transmitted from person to person and is treatable with antibiotics, health officials say.
