Key Takeaways:
- Legionella bacteria was detected in a Yankee Stadium cooling tower.
- The Bronx outbreak has sickened 10 people, leading to one fatality.
- Health officials ordered the cleaning of 10 towers to contain the spread.
New York City health officials found Legionella bacteria in a Yankee Stadium cooling tower Sunday amid a South Bronx outbreak that has sickened 10 people, killed one and prompted officials to order 10 towers cleaned and disinfected.
Health Officials Test 10 Bronx Cooling Towers
The stadium tower is one of 10 cooling towers in the Bronx that returned positive preliminary tests during an investigation into a cluster of Legionnaires’ disease in the Melrose and Morrisania neighborhoods.
Health officials tested 24 cooling towers in the affected area. The initial tests detected Legionella DNA but could not determine whether the bacteria were alive or dead. Culture testing could take up to two weeks.
The Health Department said 10 people have tested positive for Legionnaires’ disease. One person has died and three remain hospitalized, while authorities continue investigating the source of the outbreak.
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said officials are working to contain the outbreak.
“I want to assure New Yorkers we are moving aggressively to contain the spread,” Mamdani said at a news conference Monday.
Yankees Say Stadium Cases Are Not Linked
The Yankees said no current Legionnaires’ disease cases have been associated with Yankee Stadium. The team also said its cooling towers were installed in 2024 and have undergone weekly water-quality and bacteria testing since then.
The Yankees said the most recent stadium test, conducted Aug. 20, was negative for Legionella. The team uses a different testing method from the one the city used during its investigation.
“No current cases have been associated with Yankee Stadium,” the team said. It also said the Health Department has not asked the Yankees to postpone any games.
The stadium tower was drained and cleaned Sunday morning, according to the Yankees. City officials ordered all 10 towers with positive preliminary results to be cleaned and disinfected by Monday.
City Urges Bronx Residents To Monitor Symptoms
Legionnaires’ disease is a form of pneumonia caused by Legionella bacteria. People can become infected by inhaling contaminated water droplets, including mist produced by cooling equipment. The disease does not spread from person to person.
Health officials advised people who live or work in the affected Bronx neighborhoods, or who visited them since late August, to contact a health care provider if they develop flu-like symptoms.
Symptoms can include fever, cough and shortness of breath. Officials said people at higher risk include those 50 and older, smokers and people with chronic lung disease.
The Bronx investigation follows a separate Legionnaires’ disease outbreak on Manhattan’s Upper East Side this summer. That outbreak killed 11 people and infected more than 90, according to the Health Department.
