Legionnaire bug hits 12 in Flushing
AT LEAST a dozen people have contracted Legionnaires’ disease in Flushing, Queens, according to the city Health Department.
The majority of those patients, have “serious underlying health conditions,” according to the de Blasio administration. They range in age from early 30s to late 80s.
Five people remain hospitalized, two cases are being reviewed, and seven others have been discharged. No one has died, city officials said.
Legionnaires’ disease causes high fevers and serious respiratory ailments. It is not contagious through personal contact but is commonly spread through the air.
The disease can be treated using antibiotics for pneumonia. But it can be fatal for people with compromised immune systems.
In 2015, the largest and deadliest outbreak in the city killed a dozen New Yorkers and sickened another 127 in the South Bronx. The de Blasio administration was criticized for failing to check all the cooling towers in the area.
On Tuesday, health officials said they have “sampled all cooling towers in the investigation zone,” which is downtown Flushing.
There are between 200 to 400 Legionnaires’ disease cases in New York City each year.