NEW YORK, NY — New York City health officials have ordered 10 cooling towers in the South Bronx to be cleaned and disinfected after preliminary testing found Legionella bacteria during a continuing investigation into a Legionnaires’ disease cluster.
The cluster affects ZIP codes 10451 and 10456, which include the Melrose and Morrisania neighborhoods. Officials said there are now nine confirmed cases tied to the outbreak, with three people still hospitalized and one death reported.
Among the buildings identified are Yankee Stadium and Lincoln Hospital, two highly visible Bronx locations. City officials said the required cleaning work is expected to be completed by Monday.
Yankee Stadium and Lincoln Hospital are among the buildings flagged
Two of the cooling towers with positive initial tests are at 1 E. 161st St., home of Yankee Stadium, and 234 E. 149th St., the address of Lincoln Hospital. Boricua College’s Bronx campus, at 890 Washington Ave., is also on the list.
The stadium was in the spotlight on Sunday as the Yankees hosted the Mets in the Subway Series. The city has not said that any of the stadium’s fans or players are connected to the illness cluster, only that the tower there tested positive in the first round of screening.
Other positive sites include addresses on Concourse Village West, Franklin Avenue, Melrose Avenue, Park Avenue, Teller Avenue and Washington Avenue. Health officials said the buildings themselves do not pose extra risk to people simply being inside them.
Why the city is testing cooling towers across the Bronx
The investigation began after the Health Department identified a concentration of Legionnaires’ disease cases in the South Bronx. Cooling towers can spread tiny water droplets, and those droplets are one way Legionella bacteria can reach people.
Officials said they have inspected 24 cooling towers so far as part of the probe. The cleanup order applies to the 10 towers that tested positive on an initial PCR test.
That first test can show whether Legionella DNA is present, but it cannot tell investigators whether the bacteria are alive or dead. City officials said that distinction matters because only live bacteria can make people sick.
What the initial PCR test can and cannot confirm
Health officials are also carrying out culture testing to determine whether live Legionella bacteria were present when samples were collected. Those results can take as long as two weeks, so the investigation is still moving forward while the city works from the earlier test results.
The Health Department said the mandatory cleaning and disinfection will reduce any risk from the towers that tested positive. At the same time, officials stressed that the PCR results alone do not prove the bacteria found in every tower are capable of causing illness.
The combination of rapid screening and slower culture testing is meant to help the city narrow the likely source while also keeping affected buildings in compliance with health requirements.
Officials urge Bronx residents to watch for flu-like symptoms
Anyone who lives, works or has visited the area since late August and then develops flu-like symptoms should contact a health care provider right away, the city said. Legionnaires’ disease can begin with symptoms that resemble a routine respiratory illness.
Officials also said it is safe to shower, drink tap water and use air conditioners in the affected ZIP codes unless told otherwise. They added that there is no extra risk from simply being inside any of the 10 buildings with towers that tested positive in the initial screening.
That guidance is aimed at helping residents stay alert without avoiding normal daily activities while the investigation continues.
Community outreach includes a virtual and in-person town hall
The Health Department held a virtual town hall Sunday for people in the Melrose and Morrisania neighborhoods to explain the PCR findings and answer questions about the ongoing investigation. Officials used the session to underline why some positive tests may not represent live bacteria.
An in-person town hall is scheduled for 6 p.m. Tuesday at Metropolitan College in the Bronx. The city said the meeting will give residents another chance to hear updates and raise concerns directly with health officials.
For now, the city’s focus remains on completing the required disinfection, tracking the illness cluster and waiting for the culture results that will show whether live Legionella was present at the sampled sites.
