09/14/26 03:05:00
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09/14 15:04 CDT New York Yankees say Legionella bacteria found in stadium
cooling tower not linked to outbreak
New York Yankees say Legionella bacteria found in stadium cooling tower not
linked to outbreak
By DAVE COLLINS and JULIE WALKER
Associated Press
NEW YORK (AP) --- Bacteria that cause potentially fatal Legionnaires' disease
were found in a Yankee Stadium cooling tower --- one of 10 such towers in the
Bronx that tested positive amid several reported cases of the illness including
one death, New York City health officials said.
The city's Health Department said Sunday that more tests were being done to
determine whether the Legionella bacteria in the towers was live, and the
Yankees said none of the current Legionnaires' disease cases in the area has
been linked to the stadium. Only live bacteria can cause the disease, which is
a form of pneumonia. The initial testing performed on the 10 towers last week
found traces of living or dead bacteria.
Health officials said they are investigating a likely community cluster of
Legionnaires' in the South Bronx, where Yankee Stadium is located. Ten people
have tested positive for the disease including one who died and three who
remain hospitalized, the Health Department said. Authorities are still
investigating the source or sources of the outbreak.
"I want to assure New Yorkers we are moving aggressively to contain the
spread," New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said at a news conference Monday.
He later added, "This has been an issue that New Yorkers have had to deal with
for far too many years, and we are looking to develop any kind of tool that can
help to ensure that Legionnaires' is something that we're able to combat."
Health officials ordered the owners of the 10 towers to clean and disinfect
them by Monday. The Yankees said the stadium tower that tested positive was
drained and cleaned Sunday morning.
The Health Department said anyone who lives or works in the Melrose and
Morrisania sections of the Bronx, or have visited there since late August, and
are experiencing flu-like symptoms should contact a healthcare provider
immediately.
The Yankees said in a statement that new, state-of-the-art cooling towers were
installed at the stadium in 2024 and have been tested weekly for water quality
and bacteria since then. Those tests results are reported monthly to the city.
The most recent testing on Aug. 20 was negative for Legionella bacteria, the
team said, noting it uses a different method than the city used last week for
its monthly testing.
"No current cases have been associated with Yankee Stadium," the team said.
"Additionally, the New York City Department of Health has not at any point this
month asked us to postpone our games."
The city is now performing culture tests on samples from the 10 towers than can
take up to two weeks to confirm whether bacteria were alive.
Legionnaires' disease is treatable but kills about 10% of patients, according
to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It's caused by
Legionella bacteria, which grow in warm water and can spread in such places as
hot tubs and building cooling equipment. People may contract the disease by
inhaling contaminated water droplets, but it doesn't spread person-to-person.
A Legionnaire's outbreak earlier this summer on Manhattan's Upper East Side
killed 11 people among more than 90 who tested positive, the Health Department
said. The agency said 59 cooling towers at 58 buildings tested positive for
live Legionella bacteria. All those towers were cleaned and disinfected.
Last year, another Legionnaires' outbreak in Harlem killed seven people and
sickened dozens of others.
___
Collins reported from Hartford, Connecticut.
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