Outbreak
Legionnaires’ Disease outbreak in Central Harlem, Harlem, New York, NY, United States
4 months ago •source communicator.pef.org
New York, 10027 New York, United States
An outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease has been identified in Central Harlem, New York City, with 111 confirmed cases and six fatalities reported since July 25, 2025. The New York City Health Department traced the outbreak to 12 cooling towers in several buildings, primarily city-owned, within zip codes 10027, 10030, 10035, 10037, and 10039.The outbreak has raised concerns among Public Employees Federation (PEF) members, who claim that the response from relevant agencies has been inadequate. PEF leaders have been actively working to ensure the safety of their members, filing complaints with the New York Department of Health and advocating for measures such as telecommuting and office closures. Despite assurances from the NYC Department of Health and other agencies that the bacteria levels are low, PEF members remain unconvinced without seeing the test results.
The issue was first discovered when the NYC Health Department began investigating a cluster of cases in late July. The investigation led to the identification of the cooling towers as the source of the outbreak. PEF has been collaborating with legislators and officials to address safety concerns and has filed complaints with the Public Employee Safety and Health Bureau (PESH) to ensure proper measures are taken to
Source: communicator.pef.org/issue/volume-43-no-7/pef-mobilizes-in-the-face-of-legionnaires-disease-outbreak-in-harlem/
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