By Madina Toure
In the aftermath of a small outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease in Queens this spring, borough hospitals and buildings are continuing to undertake safety preventive measures in light of the recent outbreak in the South Bronx.
In April and May, 13 people got sick with Legionnaires’ in Flushing, three of whom live in the Bland Houses at 40-21 College Point Blvd. in Flushing, according to a Health Department spokeswoman.
As of Wednesday, there had been 115 cases and 12 deaths in the South Bronx, according to Mayor Bill de Blasio. There had been no new cases since Aug. 3. Health Commissioner Dr. Mary Bassett issued an order Aug. 6 that owners of buildings with cooling towers are required to register their buildings and disinfect their towers.
Legionnaires’ disease is a type of pneumonia caused by Legionella bacteria that grow in warm water and are commonly found in cooling towers.
Some buildings use the towers in their air conditioning, ventilation or heating systems.
The Health Department found that a cooling tower in Flushing had Legionella, the spokeswoman said. It has been disinfected and maintenance is being performed.
The department also found bacteria in the water system at the Bland Houses senior center, whose water supply is being disinfected.
The New York City Housing Authority contracted an environmental vendor to install a water ionization system for the complex’s five buildings and perform ongoing testing, according to a NYCHA spokeswoman. The system releases ions, which kill the bacteria, she said. The system was installed the week of Aug. 3 and activated this week.
Water to the faucets at the senior center will remain shut off until NYCHA performs another round of bacterial analysis next week.
“Working closely with the Department of Health, NYCHA moved swiftly to mitigate, remediate and reduce the risk of Legionnaires’ at the Bland Houses senior center and complex—since being detected and addressed, no additional cases have been reported,” a NYCHA spokeswoman said.
De Blasio, Gov. Andrew Cuomo and City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito (D-Manhattan) announced the city would jointly create uniform regulations to combat the disease.
The regulations will require time frames and processes for maintenance and testing of cooling towers, fines for failure to comply and a statewide registry.
NYCHA hosted a meeting May 15 for residents, senior center visitors and staff at the center. Residents were notified of the ionization system Aug. 5 and a resident meeting was held in partnership with the Health Department Aug. 6. Results of ongoing testing will be shared with residents.
A spokesman for City Councilman Peter Koo (D-Flushing) said his office asked for the meeting to be set up after learning of the cases.
State Sen. Toby Stavisky (D-Flushing) said there were roughly three weeks of conference calls initiated by the Health Department about the Queens cases.
“They were responsive at that point, but they had not isolated where it originated,” Stavisky said.
New York-Presbyterian/Queens said it has limited cases of Legionnaires’ disease, typically in the warmer months.
“To ensure the safety of our patients and staff, we have a program in place that includes inspection of our cooling system and Legionella has not been identified,” the hospital said in a statement.
St. John’s Episcopal Hospital in Far Rockaway has not reported any patients with the disease, but started checking its cooling towers even before the city issued the directive.
“We’re definitely taking precautionary measures to ensure that we’re clear,” Thomas Thomson, the hospital’s director of marketing and external relations, said.
Forest Hills Hospital has had no confirmed cases and said its cooling towers do not have the bacteria.
“In keeping with city and state guidelines, the hospital’s cooling towers are being routinely inspected and the most recent tests were negative,” Diane O’Donnell, senior public relations specialist for North Shore-LIJ Health System, said.
Michael Hinck, a spokesman for Jamaica and Flushing hospitals, said the buildings have cooling towers and that they intend to follow the order.
Reach reporter Madina Toure by e-mail at mtour
