Legionnaires' Disease: Full List of 31 NYC Buildings Where Legionella Was Found

At least 46 cases of the disease have been reported, with 22 individuals hospitalized. The city is urging residents and visitors to seek medical attention if they experience flu-like symptoms.

The Solomon R Guggenheim Museum is among 31 buildings on New York City’s Upper East Side where tests detected Legionella bacteria in water-cooling towers, city health officials have said, as they continue investigating an outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease.

The museum, located at 1071 Fifth Avenue, and 19 other properties have already cleaned and disinfected their cooling towers, according to the New York City Department of Health. Another 12 buildings were ordered to complete deep cleaning by Saturday, although officials said it was not yet clear whether all had met the deadline.

The Guggenheim, which receives an average of about 1,100 visitors a day, was not ordered to close at any point during the investigation, the department said.

It is also unclear whether the museum has contacted visitors who may have been on the premises while Legionella was present in the cooling system. The museum has not publicly commented.

Health officials released a preliminary list of 31 affected properties after screening cooling towers using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing. They cautioned that the test cannot determine whether the detected bacteria are alive or dead.

Only live Legionella bacteria can cause Legionnaires’ disease, a severe form of pneumonia.

Officials have not yet identified which, if any, of the buildings may be the source of the outbreak. The investigation is continuing, and authorities said more properties could be added to the list as additional results become available. Test results take up to two weeks to be returned.

The city has urged anyone who lives, works or has visited the affected Upper East Side neighbourhood since late June to contact a healthcare provider if they develop flu-like symptoms. So far, at least 46 people have been diagnosed with Legionnaires’ disease, including 22 who remain in hospital.

Since the outbreak was identified on 2 July, the city has tested 183 cooling towers in the area.

Records show that more than half of the neighbourhood’s cooling towers had previously been cited for health code violations during recent inspections, including failures to carry out routine monitoring and cleaning or to submit required Legionella test results to the Department of Health.

Despite the outbreak, health officials said it remains safe to use air conditioners and public cooling centres in the neighbourhood.

The full list of infected buildings released on the city’s preliminary list is:

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