Air conditioning has provided relief during extreme heat, but poor maintenance in upper Manhattan has caused a Legionnaires' disease outbreak. Since July 25, 67 cases have been reported in five zip codes, resulting in 24 hospitalizations and three deaths. This outbreak marks the largest in New York City in a decade. Health officials have treated contaminated cooling towers. Legionnaires' disease is increasingly common due to rising temperatures, with a ninefold increase since 2000 attributed to climate change. Hotter, humid environments exceed infrastructure capabilities, leading to failures.
Since July 25, at least 67 people in five zip codes have inhaled that bacteria, and developed what's called Legionnaires' disease. Twenty-four were hospitalized and three have died.
Legionnaires' disease was once rare, named for a veterans' organization whose members were sickened in a Philadelphia hotel. However, in recent decades, it has steadily become more common nationwide.
There has been a ninefold increase since 2000, and research shows that hotter, more humid temperatures in a warming climate have contributed to a rise in Legionnaires'.
"When you have really hot environments, infrastructure is not keeping up. People are realizing, whether you're talking about floods or cooling systems, they're not designed for this."
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