NYC unveils new Legionnaires’ disease strategy after 11 died in Upper East Side outbreak

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Mamdani announces new Legionnaires’ disease strategy for NYC

Mayor Zohran Mamdani said New York City is changing how it tests for and prevents Legionnaires’ disease after deadly outbreaks on the Upper East Side and in Central Harlem. FOX 5 NY’s Frances Wang reports

NEW YORK -New York City is making changes to prevent Legionnaires’ disease after 11 people died this summer from the outbreak on the Upper East Side. 

New Legionnaires’ disease tracking

Mayor Zohran Mamdani on Tuesday announced new measures to help prevent future Legionnaires’ clusters, including changes to how the city tracks and enforces rules surrounding cooling towers. 

Several measures announced by Mamdani’s office relate to better synergy between the NYC Health Department and NYC Department of Buildings. The goal is to find problems sooner and respond faster, the mayor’s office said

New York City Health Commissioner Dr. Alister Martin speaks at a town hall meeting concerning the Legionnaires disease cluster at St. Igatius Loyola Catholic Church on Tuesday, July 7, 2026, in New York. (Barry Williams/New York Daily News/Tribune Ne

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Why you should care:

By next spring, the health department plans to launch a map of registered cooling towers across the city, including their inspection history and whether they’re in compliance with Legionella testing requirements. 

The city is also looking at ways to speed up lab testing for Legionella bacteria and swifter enforcement when building owners violate the rules

By the numbers:

Just a few days ago, New York City said 81% of cooling towers were in compliance with requirements to take samples and test for Legionella. 

The NYC Health Department conducted about 800 cooling tower inspections over the last several months, with more than half resulting in at least one violation

Deadly NYC outbreaks

The backstory:

Mamdani’s announcement comes after the city said it found unregistered cooling towers during its investigation of the Upper East Side cluster over the summer and in Central Harlem last year. 

Ninety-four people were sickened and 11 died in the UES outbreak, while 118 got sick and seven died in Harlem. 

Thes office. 

New York CityHealthZohran Mamdani