Update: 10:20 p.m. EST Monday
The number of deaths in a Legionnaires' disease outbreak in New York has risen to seven, according to news reports citing health officials there. At least 81 people are sickened.
Legionnaires' disease is a pneumonia caused by a type of bacteria that grows in warm water and infects the lungs when it’s inhaled as a vapor. Five water cooling towers in the South Bronx are contaminated, according to the New York Times.
Those who have died were older adults who had underlying medical conditions.
Earlier story (updated at 10:15 a.m. EST Monday)
A fourth person has died from an outbreak of Legionnaires' disease in the Bronx borough of New York City.
CNN reports the total number of reported infections is now 71 — more than double the number reported on Thursday.
“We will continue to be vigilant on all fronts, ensuring the health and safety of New Yorkers by both addressing Legionnaires' disease at its source, and ensuring affected New Yorkers who need it are getting proper treatment,” New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio saidin a statement.
About 5 to 10 percent of Legionnaires' disease infections are fatal, according to the New York City mayor’s office.
In Florida, three people were diagnosed with Legionnaires' disease at a hotel in Altamonte Springs last month.
Legionnaires' disease and a milder infection called legionellosis are treatable with antibiotics and are not contagious. About 8,000 to 18,000 Americans are hospitalized for Legionnaires' disease each year, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates.
Smokers, people with a lung disease or the immunocompromised are most at risk of infection. Symptoms include fever, chills, muscle aches and cough.
The bacteria, Legionella, is named after an 1976 outbreak at an American Legion convention.
Gavin Stern is a national digital producer for the Scripps National Desk.
