Health & Environment Moved this morning
The South Bronx Legionnaires' cluster 4 dated updates since Sep 11, 2026
- Sep 11, 2026 New York City's Health Department confirmed a Legionnaires' disease cluster in ZIP codes 10451 and 10456 covering Melrose and Morrisania, killing one person and sickening five others, with results on additional possible cases still pending. Every cooling tower in the area was sampled, with PCR test results due within 24 to 48 hours.
- Sep 12, 2026 Gothamist found five buildings among the outbreak area's cooling towers had no monthly Legionella test on record despite a citywide law requiring monthly testing since May 8, while Healthbeat counted two of 27 registered towers with no sample submitted. Council Member Justin Sanchez called the outbreak alarming given the ZIP codes' otherwise high compliance rate, and Health Commissioner Alister Martin said any tower that tests positive will be directed to undergo full cleaning and disinfection immediately.
- Sep 14, 2026 The city ordered 10 South Bronx cooling towers drained, cleaned and disinfected by Monday after preliminary PCR tests found Legionella bacteria, including towers at Yankee Stadium and Lincoln Hospital, as the cluster grew to nine confirmed cases with three hospitalized. The Yankees said their most recent monthly test on Aug. 20 came back negative for Legionella, and health officials said two of the 10 flagged towers had not submitted the testing required every 31 days since May.
- Sep 15, 2026 The city's Health Department found Legionella at 10 of 24 tested South Bronx cooling towers, including one at Yankee Stadium, in a cluster that grew to 11 positive cases with one death and three hospitalized as of Monday night. Two of the flagged towers, at 820 Concourse Village West and 1265 Franklin Ave., had not kept up the city's required 31-day testing, and the Yankees said their most recent Aug. 20 test was negative and no cases have been linked to the stadium.
What’s next The Health Department holds an in-person town hall at 6 p.m. Tuesday at Metropolitan College in the Bronx; PCR results cannot distinguish live from dead bacteria, so culture results confirming the outbreak's source are due within two weeks.
Follow this storyline → Free every morning. Unsubscribe in one click.