A second person has died amid a legionnaires' disease outbreak that has sickened dozens in New York City, according to officials who also say there is evidence that the source of the outbreak has likely been eliminated.
Second Death Confirmed
New York City's health department served notice of the second death in a statement on Saturday. The statement did not provide information about the person's identity, age, or details on when and how they fell ill, as was the case when city officials announced the first death in the outbreak on Manhattan's Upper East Side on Friday.
The outbreak, as of Saturday, had sickened at least 72 people, including nine who remained hospitalized and 50 who had been discharged.
Source Likely Eliminated
A statement attributed to the New York City health commissioner, Dr Alister F Martin, said there was encouraging data suggesting that an aggressive strategy of testing, enforcement and remediation aimed at air-conditioning systems atop many large buildings appears to have stopped the source of exposure. Those systems can release water vapor carrying the bacteria.
We directed every building with an initial positive test result to immediately clean and disinfect its cooling tower, and every one has completed that work, Martin's statement said. We have also reminded cooling tower operators across the city of their summertime requirement to increase use of biocides that kill the Legionella bacteria that causes legionnaires' disease.
Decline in New Cases
City officials took those measures after two people on 2 July were confirmed to have been infected with legionnaires' disease, which is a form of pneumonia. The agency confirmed an average of more than eight new cases daily through 8 July. The number of new cases then dropped to fewer than one daily from 10 to 17 July.
We will continue inspecting every cooling tower that tested positive and will hold accountable any owner who fails to comply with our public health laws, Martin's statement said.
Buildings Affected
According to the city, tests identified either living or dead Legionella bacteria in cooling towers on more than 75 Upper East Side buildings. They include museums, private schools and apartment houses. The statement also expressed condolences to those grieving the people who have died amid the outbreak.
About Legionnaires' Disease
Legionnaires' disease is treatable but kills about 10% of patients, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The bacteria that causes the sickness grow in warm water and can proliferate in cooling towers, hot tubs and showerheads. People can contract cases of legionnaires' 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 during a legionnaires' disease outbreak in New York's Harlem neighborhood. New York's health department says the disease was named legionnaires' after a 1976 outbreak in Philadelphia that largely affected people attending a state convention of the American Legion, the war veterans' non-profit organization.
