First death reported from Legionnaires' outbreak on NYC's Upper East Side

Colin Mixson, New York Daily News on Jul 17, 2026

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NEW YORK — New York City has recorded its first death from the current Legionnaires’ disease outbreak on Manhattan’s Upper East Side, city Health Commissioner Dr. Alister Martin announced Friday.

“I am saddened to report that one person has died in connection with the Legionnaires’ disease community cluster on the Upper East Side,” Martin wrote in a post on X. “My deepest condolences are with their loved ones.”

The victim was one of 67 people who have tested positive for the respiratory illness so far, 12 of whom were hospitalized, as of 9 p.m. Thursday, Martin said.

Martin did not provide further details about the individual “out of respect to their personal privacy.”

City Council Speaker Julie Menin, whose district includes the affected area and earlier this month criticized Martin for not ordering more proactive measures to combat the disease’s spread, also offered her condolences to the Legionnaires’ victim on social media.

“I am deeply saddened to learn that a person has died in connection to the Legionnaires’ disease cluster on the Upper East Side,” Menin wrote on X. “This news is heartbreaking, and the individual’s loved ones are in my thoughts during this incredibly difficult time.”

A Legionnaires’ outbreak last summer in Harlem killed seven people and sickened more than 100.

A screening of 180 buildings on the Upper East Side found Legionella bacteria, the microbe responsible for spreading the disease, in at least 76 buildings with cooling towers, including the Guggenheim Museum and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

All buildings that tested positive for the bacteria were ordered to perform remediation, including cleaning and disinfecting the affected towers.

Health officials publicly identified the first 31 infected buildings just two days after Menin sent a letter to the city’s Health commissioner demanding that all buildings with cooling towers within the affected area be required to conduct a proactive cleanup to prevent the potentially deadly bacteria’s spread.

“I am deeply concerned that the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene has still failed to require building owners to proactively disinfect all cooling towers in the area under investigation,” Menin’s letter read.

The city first caught wind of the outbreak, which is centered in the Carnegie Hill and Yorkville neighborhoods, when the first two confirmed cases of Legionnaires’ disease were identified on July 2.

Legionnaires’ disease is a form of pneumonia caused by the Legionella bacteria. Most people exposed don’t become sick and the disease is spread through the inhalation of water vapor. It is not spread from person to person.

Symptoms typically develop two to 14 days after exposure and include fever, chills, muscle aches, shortness of breath and coughing. According to DOH, “It remains safe to shower, drink tap water and use air conditioners in the affected zip codes.”

The disease is fatal in about 10% of cases and is most dangerous for those above age 50 or with compromised immune systems or chronic lung diseases.