Mayor De Blasio Says Legionnaires' Outbreak Is Contained
ORANGEBURG, N.Y. (CBSNewYork/AP) -- New York City officials say five more buildings in the South Bronx have tested positive for the bacteria that cause the potentially deadly Legionnaires' disease, though there is no sign that anyone has grown ill from the new sites.
Mayor Bill de Blasio announced in a press conference Saturday that the Legionnaires' disease has been contained.
State health inspectors will continue to test and disinfect the sites where the bacteria has been found, CBS2's Ilana Gold reported.
De Blasio revealed the five sites where the bacteria has been found including a Verizon facility, the Bronx Housing Court, the Bronx Hall of Justice, a soon-to-be decommissioned post office and Samuel Gompers High School.
So far, the outbreak has sickened 108 people and 10 people have died in the South Bronx, CBS2's Steve Langford reported.
He vows that change is on the way in the aftermath of the deadly outbreak. No new cases have been reported.
The state Health Department began sending out teams to test cooling towers on Saturday and hope to be finished by the end of the weekend.
"As revealed the potential, and I want to emphasize on the potential, the potential grand total of 161 buildings in the area of the South Bronx which is very defined," de Blasio said. "The good news is this outbreak is clearly tapering off there is still more work to be done."
CBS2's Matt Kozar spoke with cab driver Daniel Tejada who is one of more than 100 people who have gotten sick.
"They told my parents a few times that I was on the verge of not making it," Tejada said.
Mayor De Blasio Vows Change After Legionnaires' Outbreak; 108 Infected
"We are starting a massive testing effort in that immediate vicinity where we will actually have a coordinated testing program where we will send people out to test these cooling towers to determine if there is a source of bacteria or not," said Gov. Andrew Cuomo.
As WCBS 880's Jim Smith reported, 150 state employees have fanned out to five different regions.
Mayor De Blasio Says Legionnaires' Outbreak Is Contained
"To test buildings all across the Bronx," said Director of State Operations Jim Malatras.
Malatras said they're collecting samples from about 100 buildings with cooling towers in a one-day effort under Cuomo's new free testing initiative.
State Health Commissioner Howard Zucker said the areas the teams are testing include Fordham, Mount Eden, Hunts Point, Mott Haven, and Highbridge, 1010 WINS' Roger Stern reported.
State Steps Up Building Testing In New York City
Zucker is also insisting the state is on the same page as the city, Smith reported.
"I spoke to the city health commissioner regularly. The last thing I did before I went to sleep last night was I was talking to the health commissioner," he said.
But Zucker admits the city did not specifically ask for the state resources and said the directive from the governor is that they solve this problem, Smith reported.
Health officials said cooling towers at five buildings within a 10-block radius have tested positive for the Legionella bacteria so far.
The five cooling towers that tested positive have all been decontaminated.
Meanwhile, the Chromalloy plant on Blasisdell Road in Orangeburg was shut down abruptly Friday morning after the employee was diagnosed.
Case Of Legionnaires' Disease Confirmed In Rockland; State Steps Up Building Testing In NYC
Experts arrived in face masks to investigate and injected biocode into the cooling towers, which destroys the Legionella bacteria that causes potentially deadly pneumonia, CBS2's Ilana Gold reported.
Folks who live near the complex have some serious concerns.
"It's scary, this neighborhood is all little kids. It's scary," said one resident.
"Just to be on the safe side, we're going to get our cooling system checked; just in case," another resident told WCBS 880's Sophia Hall.
Details surrounding the case in Rockland are sparse, so it remains unclear how or where the worker was exposed.
The state and city Health Departments are urging residents to remain calm, saying Legionella cannot be spread through person to person contact. You can only contract the disease from breathing in the mist from contaminated cooling towers.
The disease is easily diagnosed and can be treated with antibiotics but poses a serious risk to anyone with an underlying medical condition. Officials said all 10 people who died had other complicating conditions.
Symptoms of Legionnaires' disease include headache, fatigue, loss of appetite, confusion and diarrhea. Symptoms appear two to 10 days after exposure to Legionella bacteria.
