The cooling tower is one of ten found to have Legionnaires’ amid a South Bronx outbreak that sickened nine and killed one
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NEED TO KNOW
- A cooling tower at Yankee Stadium tested positive for Legionnaires’ bacteria during a South Bronx outbreak
- Nine people have been sickened and one has died, but no cases are linked to Yankee Stadium so far
- The Yankees said in a statement that their towers are new and tested weekly, with no health department request to postpone games
A cooling tower at Yankee Stadium tested positive for the bacteria that causes Legionnaires’ disease amid a fatal South Bronx outbreak.
The cooling tower is one of 10 in zip codes 10451 and 10456 that were ordered to be cleaned and disinfected by the New York City Department of Health amid an ongoing outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease, which has sickened nine people and killed one in the Melrose and Morrisania neighborhoods. Three people are hospitalized for treatment.
Although the test was positive, NYC health officials caution that the test “cannot determine whether the bacteria are alive or dead and does not confirm that a cooling tower is the source of exposure. Only live Legionella bacteria can cause illness.” More tests are underway to determine if the bacteria were live, with results expected in two weeks.
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Officials were quick to note that “There is no additional risk from being inside any of the 10 buildings.”
The bacteria thrive in water systems like cooling towers, hot tubs, showers and complex plumbing systems. Legionnaires’ disease causes serious pneumonia with symptoms like cough, fever, headaches, shortness of breath and nausea. While it can be treated with antibiotics, in serious cases, it can lead to lung failure and death, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control says.
Those at risk of worse outcomes are people ages 50 or older, anyone who smokes or vapes, or suffers from a chronic lung disease or weakened immune system.
In a statement to CBS News, the Yankees organization says the towers were “new, state-of-the-art, high-efficiency chiller towers” that were installed in 2024. The towers “have undergone water quality and bacteriological indicator testing on a weekly basis over the last three years.”
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The Yankees statement continued: “No current cases have been associated with Yankee Stadium. Additionally, the New York City Department of Health has not at any point this month asked us to postpone our games.”
PEOPLE has reached out to the Yankees organization for more information.
The news comes on the heels of an outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease on New York City’s Upper East Side, around Museum Mile, which killed 11 people and sickened 94 this past summer.
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