A sixth person has died in New York City due to a cluster of Legionnaires' disease on the Upper East Side, according to the New York City Health Department on Tuesday, July 29, 2026. At least 90 cases have been identified in the outbreak, though no new cases have been diagnosed since July 17.
Currently, six people remain hospitalized, while 65 have been discharged since the cluster began. The city has cleaned and disinfected dozens of cooling towers that tested positive for live Legionella bacteria. Officials stated, "We are confident the source of the Legionella bacteria has been eliminated."
Legionnaires' disease is a severe form of pneumonia caused by inhaling Legionella bacteria in small water droplets or contaminated water entering the lungs. These bacteria naturally occur in freshwater but typically do not cause disease unless they grow in warm water environments, such as cooling towers.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) noted that Legionnaires' disease has increased in prevalence over the last decade, peaking at 3.04 cases per 100,000 population in 2018. Cases declined during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic but rebounded in 2021.
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