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New York City’s ongoing outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease in Central Harlem, which has killed three people and sickened dozens more, is the latest in a series of similar clusters that have made headlines in recent years, usually in the summer months.
Legionnaires’ experts say a number of environmental and human factors are likely behind a recent rise in reported cases nationally and the concentration of cases in hotspots like New York. These include heightened awareness about Legionnaires’ — a severe form of pneumonia — as well as climate change and ongoing issues with buildings’ water systems. To get Legionnaires’, a person has to inhale mist or aspirate water containing a bacteria known as Legionella, which often grows in plumbing systems or water-cooling towers…