South Bronx Legionnaires' disease outbreak September 2026
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NYC orders emergency cleaning of cooling towers after deadly bacteria detected
The New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene issued orders to clean and disinfect the sites.
Health officials ordered the immediate remediation of 10 rooftop cooling towers in the South Bronx after preliminary testing detected Legionella bacteria.
Among the affected structures are cooling towers at Yankee Stadium and Lincoln Hospital.
Legionella bacteria found in Yankee Stadium cooling towers
An outbreak in Harlem the previous year killed seven people and sickened dozens of others.
The city is performing culture tests on samples from the 10 towers that can take up to two weeks to confirm whether bacteria were alive.
The Yankees said no current Legionnaires' disease cases have been linked to Yankee Stadium.
Yankee Stadium cooling tower tests positive for Legionella
Lincoln Hospital was in compliance with the testing schedule and was last tested Aug. 19.
Eight of the 10 cooling towers that tested positive were in compliance with a 31-day testing requirement that went into effect in May.
The health department sampled water from 24 cooling tower systems as part of its investigation.
Legionnaires' disease outbreak kills one in the South Bronx
The South Bronx investigation is the second community Legionnaires' disease cluster identified in New York City in recent months.
Legionnaires' disease is a form of pneumonia caused by Legionella bacteria.
New York City officials announced an investigation into a community cluster of Legionnaires' disease in parts of Melrose and Morrisania in the South Bronx on Thursday.