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New York to send teams to help Legionnaires' disease outbreak testing

Xinhua, August 8, 2015 Adjust font size:

New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo on Friday announced that teams led by the State Department of Health officials will be deployed to the Bronx, one of the five boroughs of New York City, Saturday to expedite the collection and testing of cooling tower water samples amid a deadly outbreak of Legionnaires' disease.

This followed Thursday's announcement that the state is providing free testing for building owners and operators with cooling towers or evaporative condenser units that can be sources of the bacteria, as well as operating two free hotlines to support sample collection.

According to New York City Department of Health, 10 people have died and more than 100 people have been diagnosed with the Legionnaires' disease since its appearance late last month.

Legionnaires' disease is a type of pneumonia caused by breathing in mist contaminated with the Legionella bacteria. It is not spread person to person. Symptoms include fever, coughing and shortness of breath. So far, all deceased individuals were adults with underlying medical conditions.

Health officials identified that the outbreak has been traced to cooling towers, which release mist. Five towers in the South Bronx had been tested positive for the bacteria and have since been decontaminated. The Health Department ordered that within the next 14 days, all buildings with cooling towers that haven't been tested in the last 30 days be tested and any towers found contaminated be disinfected. Failure to comply is a misdemeanor.

According to local media reports, a team of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention was also expected to be in New York City Friday to meet with state and city officials regarding the outbreak of Legionnaires' disease in the South Bronx. Endite