One dies in New York Legionnaires' disease outbreak

One person has died after contracting Legionnaires' disease in New York's Upper East Side, New York City health officials said on 17 July.

The New York City Health Department said 67 cases had been confirmed in the neighborhood and that 12 people were hospitalized.

Legionnaires' disease is a serious lung infection caused by Legionella bacteria. The disease has a fatality rate of nine percent. People can become infected through contaminated water or by inhaling airborne microdroplets, but it is not transmitted from person to person.

The Health Department urged anyone with flu-like symptoms, including fever, chills, muscle aches or coughing, to seek medical attention.

Officials also ordered at least 76 buildings to carry out special cleaning after water samples tested positive for the bacteria. The buildings include one that houses the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

The disease is named after the first known outbreak, which happened in 1976 at a Philadelphia hotel where the American Legion veterans' organization was holding a convention. Thirty-four people died in that outbreak.