Bronx Legionnaires’ Outbreak Is Over, Health Officials Say
The New York Times
By Winnie Hu
New York City health officials on Thursday declared an outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease in the South Bronx officially over, saying that no new cases had been reported since Aug. 3.
The officials, citing test results, also confirmed they had traced the source of the outbreak to a contaminated cooling tower on top of the Opera House Hotel on East 149th Street. The finding, which was widely expected, was a blow for the hotel that opened two years ago after a multimillion-dollar renovation of a historic theater building in a poor neighborhood.
The outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease — the worst in the city’s history — has claimed 12 lives and sickened more than 120 people since early July in the South Bronx, where residents have asthma, diabetes and other health issues. In response, city health officials ordered this month that every building with a cooling tower had to disinfect it within two weeks of receiving the notice.
