This article was originally posted August 19, 2025. It will be updated as additional data are reported.
Sixth Death Reported in NYC Legionnaires’ Disease Outbreak
August 27, 2025, 5:30pm ET
The New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene has reported sixth death related to Legionnaires’ disease, according to an August 27 update.
Per the department’s update, there are currently:
- 113 confirmed cases
- 6 deaths
- 7 currently hospitalized
The outbreak is affecting the neighborhood of Central Harlem (ZIP codes 10027, 10030, 10035, 10037, and 10039).
According to USA Today, the city is also investigating isolated cases in a condominium in the Bronx, NY, after two people have been diagnosed in the last 12 months.
Legionnaires’ Disease Outbreak Kills 5 in New York City
August 19, 2025, 11:30am ET
The New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene reported a fifth death as an outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease continues to plague the city’s Harlem neighborhood.
The outbreak, which began in late July, has infected over 100 people. As of August 18 data, 108 individuals have been infected, and 14 have been hospitalized.
A dozen cooling towers in Central Harlem tested positive for legionella bacteria, which “travels on the mist from a cooling tower outside into the air, like smoke from a fire,” the city health department says.
All 12 towers have been treated and cleared, according to the department: “Any cooling towers with initial positive results for Legionella bacteria have completed the treatment required by the Health Department,” the agency said in its 8/18 update.
According to the CDC, approximately 1-in-10 patients infected with Legionnaires’ disease die due to complications from their illness, and that number increases to 1-in-4 patients if infection occurs during a stay in a healthcare facility.
