On September 30, 2026, New York City health officials announced that the Legionnaires’ disease outbreak in the South Bronx has been declared over after the source of contamination was removed, noting that two people died.
The investigation traced the infections to a water cooling tower in the neighborhood, and officials eliminated the Legionella contamination from that tower. Legionnaires’ disease spreads when aerosolized water containing the bacteria is inhaled, often originating from cooling towers or similar systems.