Note on the image of the Bronx General Post Office: There is no indication that Legionnaires’ was detected at the building, it is simply being used since it is the location for the post office serving the 10451 zip code.
The South Bronx finds itself amidst a deadly legionnaires’ outbreak that has claimed the life of one resident and has sickened five according to New York City health officials.
According to the New York City Department of Health, the legionnaires cluster is in the 10451 and 10456 zip codes of the Melrose and Morrisania neighborhoods of the borough and urges anyone who lives, works, or has visited the area since late August and is experience flu-like symptoms like difficulty breathing, fever, or coughing, should contact a health care provider immediately.
People with underlying chronic cardiovascular, lung, kidney, or liver disease, and diabetes are at an increased risk as are people over 50 and smokers and vapers. Unfortunately, given that The Bronx, and in particular, the South Bronx, has some of the highest rates of these chronic diseases, it means that a greater segment of the population is at risk.
Back in 2015, the same general area of the South Bronx was at the epicenter of New York City’s largest Legionnaires’ outbreak which sickened 138 residents and claimed the lives of 16, many of whom had such underlying health complications.
These very health issues suffered by many Bronxites is one of the underlying reasons why the borough found itself at the epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic which claimed almost 10,000 lives during the course of the pandemic and the highest rate of all the boroughs.
This latest outbreak comes after an earlier outbreak this summer sickened 94 on Manhattan’s Upper East Side and claimed the lives of 11 residents.
The New York City Department of Health will be hosting a live virtual town hall on this latest outbreak this Sunday, September 13 at 3PM.
