Growing cases of Legionnaires’ disease, a severe form of pneumonia, have left at least three people dead and over 70 people infected in New York City. The illness infects the lungs and can be deadly.
Legionnaires’ disease is caused by Legionella, a type of bacteria that grows in warm water and can spread through buildings’ air conditioning systems. Poorly maintained cooling towers have since been linked to the recent cluster in New York City, which is considered the largest outbreak the city has seen in a decade, USA TODAY reports.
The highest number of reported cases typically occurs in the summer and fall months, according to the CDC. In Ohio, reports of Legionnaires’ disease are increasing annually, the Ohio Department of Health notes, with hundreds of cases reported this year alone…