6th Legionnaires' disease death reported in Harlem outbreak as another lawsuit is planned
Another person sickened in the Legionnaires' disease outbreak in Harlem has died.
This is the sixth death reported in connection to the outbreak, which was first reported July 25.
As of Thursday, there have been 111 confirmed cases and seven people are currently hospitalized.
New York City health officials said the outbreak was traced back to 12 cooling towers at 10 buildings in Central Harlem, including Harlem Hospital and a CUNY building. All of the towers have since been drained and disinfected, officials said.
The cases have been clustered around five Central Harlem ZIP codes: 10027, 10030, 10035, 10037 and 10039. The last new case was reported on Aug. 13, according to city data.
Lawsuit planned against NYC Health and Hospitals
Wednesday, two separate lawsuits were filed over the outbreak, claiming construction companies failed to protect workers from unsafe conditions that led to the spread of the the disease.
Plans for another lawsuit on behalf of patients were announced Thursday. It's seeking at least $1 million in damages.
At attorney representing two people filed the notice of claim, meaning intent to file a suit against New York City Health and Hospitals.
A hospital spokesperson said in a statement, "NYC Health and Hospitals has one of the most rigorous cooling tower safety and inspection programs, exceeding City testing and cleaning requirements."
Information session held to answer Harlem residents' Legionnaires' questions
District 9 Council Member Yusef Salaam held an information session Thursday night, where Harlem residents took notes and had a lot of questions.
"We also wanna make sure that we also know how to advocate for ourselves. That's what this is really about," he said.
Denise Merchant rushed to the meeting after leaving Harlem Hospital, where her sister has been recovering from Legionnaires' since Aug. 2. Merchant said her sister is still weak and can't walk for long periods, and will soon be moved to a rehab facility.
"The fever is no longer there, the pneumonia is no longer there, the sepsis is no longer there, but the delirium is still there," she said. "She does underlying issues, and I think that's why one of the reasons why it attacked her in the way that it did."
One woman who lives in one of the impacted ZIP codes believes she had Legionnaires' but never got tested.
"My feet were cold. I was having chills," she said.
She said she has since covered all the vents in her apartment, but a representative from the Department of Health said because legionella bacteria is airborne, one building's residents are not necessarily more at risk than people spending time outside.
