Laboratory cultures have confirmed live Legionella bacteria in seven South Bronx cooling towers, the NYC Health Department announced on Sept. 23. It is the first confirmation that bacteria capable of causing illness were growing in towers inside the investigation area. No tower has been identified as the source of anyone's infection.
The department's Legionnaires' disease cluster page, last updated Sept. 24 at 7:10 p.m., counts 23 people with Legionnaires' disease in the Melrose and Morrisania cluster. Three are hospitalized, 15 have been discharged, three did not need hospital care, and two have died. The Sept. 23 announcement cited 22 cases as of Sept. 22, and NY1 reported 23 cases the following day, so the figures reflect different reporting dates rather than conflicting data.
