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Provisional — subject to revision

Upper East Side (Carnegie Hill / Yorkville), Manhattan, NY

Legionnaires’ disease outbreak · Jul 2026 · New York

94
Cases
11
Deaths
Resolved
Status

Suspected source

Cooling towers; 76 building towers tested PCR-positive for Legionella (Cooling tower)

What happened

The NYC Health Department has concluded its investigation of this Legionnaires' disease community cluster in the Upper East Side neighborhoods of Carnegie Hill and Yorkville (ZIP codes 10028, 10075 and 10128) and says the source of the Legionella bacteria has been eliminated. As of August 28, 2026 the department reports 94 cases and 11 deaths, with no one still hospitalized - the deadliest Legionnaires' cluster in New York City in a decade. Two of those deaths were announced on August 28 by Health Commissioner Dr. Alister Martin among people already diagnosed. Officials said there is no evidence of ongoing transmission: no cases were diagnosed after July 21. Of 183 cooling towers tested at 160 buildings, 77 towers at 75 buildings screened PCR-positive and 59 towers at 58 buildings were culture positive for live Legionella; all were cleaned and disinfected. Findings on the source of the cluster are expected in mid-September. Figures are provisional.

Sources & coverage

In-depth reporting on this and other Legionnaires’ disease outbreaks is available from Pritzker Hageman’s Legionnaires’ disease resource center.

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Primary source: Cooling towers; 76 building towers tested PCR-positive for Legionella. Figures are provisional and may be revised or withdrawn by the reporting authority. This page is for information only and is not medical or legal advice.