News of the most recent cluster of water towers in the Bronx containing the Legionnaire's bacteria has got a lot of people shaken up around New York City, and rightly so.
The very basic human fear of "something in the water" has come to life in one of the world's most densely populated metro areas.
The fact is, there was a deadly outbreak of infections during the summer that killed 12 people in the Bronx, and now there are ten more cases, perhaps related to the Morris Park water towers found to contain the bacteria responsible for the illness.
Strangely, said water towers were all recently sanitized under the regulation signed into law by De Blasio in August on the heels of the last outbreak. They are to be re-sanitized immediately.
Legionnaires' Disease is essentially a form of pneumonia, mainly brought on by infection by certain types of bacteria known to thrive in water that's around 90 degrees.
New York City Health Commissioner Dr. Mary Bassett is quoted last night saying, "Anywhere that we have water and it's warm, it's possible to find Legionnaires'."
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Thankfully, the infection is not contagious in the traditional sense, rather it is transmitted through contact with contaminated water.
It is important to know that one can't simply breathe it in like other airborne pathogens. However, contaminated aerosolized water can be inhaled, practically making Legionnaires' airborne.
While it is a serious issue, most people have less to worry about than they may think. Those most susceptible to infection are those with chronic respiratory/immune system health issues or heavy tobacco use.
In fact, all ten new cases in the outbreak suffer from underlying health issues. Though, only nine are hospitalized at the moment. The tenth was treated and released.
Now, New York State isn't taking the news laying down. After signing unprecedented legislation in August, Mayer De Blasio announced that New York City is, "the first major city in the United States to regulate cooling towers so that we can protect against Legionnaire's disease."
Governor Cuomo also ushered new regulations for maintaining water supplies where the bacteria may thrive throughout the state.
So, should we be worried? Well, kind of. Yes, there is a real threat to the collective health of New Yorkers. While Legionnairres' can be deadly, it's also not necessarily life-threatening with proper precautions and treatment.
That being said, our City and State officials are doing what needs to be done to protect the well-being of the people.
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[via CBS New York]
[Feature Image Courtesy of DailyMail]