2 Legionnaires' disease cases prompt investigation at Staten Island apartment complex

Two confirmed cases of Legionnaires' disease have prompted an investigation at a Staten Island apartment complex.

The New York City Department of Health says two residents tested positive for the disease at the Castleton Park Apartments in St. George within the last 12 months. As a result, the city is now evaluating the building's internal hot water system.

Health officials emphasized the probe is not focused on a cooling tower, unlike prior outbreaks across the city, and added this is not a community cluster investigation and there is no risk to the surrounding area.

"It is okay to drink the building's tap water, but Castleton Park Apartments residents should follow the Health Department's recommendations for safe water use," the city said in a statement. "Remediation is underway, and the Health Department will continue to provide residents with updates and guidance."

Officials urge anyone living in the Castleton Park Apartments who may be experiencing symptoms such as fever, chills, muscle aches, or cough, especially those 50 or older, smoke, vape, or have chronic lung disease or a weakened immune system, to get medical attention.

Legionnaires' disease is a type of pneumonia caused by bacteria that grows in warm water and is not spread from person to person. Officials said building evaluations are typically launched when two or more residents are diagnosed within a 12-month period.

Most people exposed to Legionella bacteria do not become sick, and the risk of infection from a building's water system is low for most healthy individuals, health officials said.

Recently, a Queens apartment complex underwent an investigation of its hot water system after two residents tested positive for Legionnaires' disease.

Previous investigations on the Upper East Side and in the South Bronx needed a broader public health response because Legionella bacteria were detected in cooling towers at those buildings.

For more information about Legionnaires' disease, visit the New York City Department of Health.