Sick with Legionnaires?
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Elliot Olsen has regained millions of dollars for clients who have been harmed by Legionnaires’ disease. If you or a family member have contracted Legionnaires in one of these NYC outbreaks, please call (612) 337-6126 for a free consultation.

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Two Legionnaires’ disease outbreaks are under investigation by the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (NYC Health), one in Manhattan and the other in Queens.

NYC Health confirmed two cases of the respiratory illness at Manhattan Plaza (400 West 43rd Street) in Hell’s Kitchen, although no information was provided on when the residents took ill.

NYC Health also reported that two people have been sickened in Queens within the past 12 months at 20-02, 20-04, 20-06, 20-08, 20-10 and 20-12 Seagirt Boulevard, according to a notice posted on Twitter.

“The risk of getting sick from a building’s water system is very low, especially for healthy people” according to NYC Health commissioner Oxiris Barbot, in a notice to tenants. “The most important thing you can do is get medical attention right away if you start having symptoms such as fever, chills, muscle aches, and cough. This is even more important if you are aged 50 or older (especially if you smoke cigarettes), have chronic lung disease, have a weakened immune system or take medicines that weaken your immune system.”

The notice also provided the following list of Do’s and Don’ts:

• DON’T take a shower – not even a cool shower – since it could create water vapor (mist). Instead, take a bath, but fill the tub slowly. Try to minimize time in the bathroom while the tub is filling. If you don’t have a bathtub, either take a sponge bath or contact building management for a modified shower option.
• DO: It’s fine to wash dishes, but fill the sink slowly to avoid creating a mist.
• DO: It’s fine to drink cold water from the tap, but start with cold water when heating water for tea, coffee or cooking.
• DON’T wear a mask. It’s unnecessary.

NYC Health is working with building management at both locations, testing the water to try and locate a source for the Legionella, which is the bacteria that causes Legionnaires’ disease.

Manhattan Plaza is located two blocks west of the city’s theater district and has been dubbed “Broadway’s Bedroom,” as 70 percent of the building’s nearly 1,700 units are occupied by performing artists, with the balance held by elderly tenants and residents living in subsidized housing.

NYC outbreaks: woes across state

Since July of last year, New York City has battled numerous outbreaks, including these incidents:

• The Brielle at Seaview, a non-profit, assisted-living facility for seniors on Staten Island, suffered an outbreak last month when a second case of the disease was diagnosed within eight months. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) defines a Legionnaires’ disease “outbreak” as two or more cases associated with the same possible source during a 12-month period.
• In February, NYC Health confirmed that two cases of  Legionnaires’ disease occurred at the Bronx River Houses within the past year.
• Two cases of Legionnaires also were confirmed last November and December at Park Slope’s New York-Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist Hospital.
• The Sugar Hill Project was confirmed as the source for two outbreaks in upper Manhattan in 2018, outbreaks that resulted in two deaths and almost 60 people sickened.
• In October 2018, Legionella was detected at the Borden Avenue Veterans Residence in Long Island City after a second Legionnaires’ disease case was confirmed within the last year.
• In July 2018, two individuals were diagnosed with Legionnaires at Clinton Manor, a housing development in Hell’s Kitchen.