What to Know
- Legionnaires’ disease is not contagious and is treatable with standard antibiotics used to treat pneumonia
- Symptoms include fever, cough, chills, muscle aches, headache, fatigue, loss of appetite, confusion and diarrhea
- Elderly people and people with underlying conditions are particularly vulnerable to complications
One person is dead and six were hospitalized after contracting Legionnaires' disease in the last 11 days in Lenox Hill, according to the health department.
The person who died was in his or her 90s and had underlying health problems, officials said. Four more people were hospitalized and two have been discharged from the hospital, officials said.
The health agency is testing water from all cooling tower systems within a 0.3-mile radius of the affected section in Lenox Hill.
A New York police officer was confirmed to have Legionnaires' disease at the 23rd Precinct in Harlem on June 10.
Legionnaires’ disease is not contagious and is treatable with standard antibiotics used to treat pneumonia. Symptoms include fever, cough, chills, muscle aches, headache, fatigue, loss of appetite, confusion and diarrhea.
There are 200 to 400 cases of Legionnaires' disease in New York City, according to a 2016 report by the health department.
