OFFICIAL STATEMENT FROM ALLIANCE TO PREVENT LEGIONNAIRES’ DISEASE SPOKESPERSON DARYN CLINE

18 individuals recently fell victim to a Legionnaires’ outbreak in Washington Heights, with one passing away. What makes this most recent story line of Legionnaires’ disease even more tragic is the fact that an additional 15 people in New York City contracted this disease in the past week and it went completely unnoticed.

2017 was a record year for reported cases of Legionnaires’ disease in New York City. It’s unfortunate that 2018 is already on pace to break that record. 164 New York City residents have already contracted Legionnaires’ disease in 2018; a 12 percent increase when compared to the same point in 2017.

We must start paying closer attention to the single, sporadic cases that make up the overwhelming majority of Legionnaires’ disease infections each year if there is going to be any success at preventing future cases and outbreaks. By failing to thoroughly and properly investigate sporadic cases, New York City officials consistently miss their opportunities to collect the data necessary to develop real, preventative solutions. The City’s health officials must do better at understanding the originating sources of Legionella bacteria and the relationship it has with our public water system that carries it to our homes and places of work.

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