A fourth person has died in connection with a Legionnaires’ disease outbreak in New York City. Health officials disclosed the latest death Thursday as they revealed that some cooling towers tested positive for the bacteria in some city-run buildings. The outbreak in Central Harlem has sickened dozens since it began in late July. Seventeen people were hospitalized as of Thursday. The bacteria that causes Legionnaires’ disease had been discovered in 12 cooling towers on 10 buildings, including a city-run hospital. Legionnaires’ disease is a type of pneumonia that is caused by Legionella bacteria, which grow in warm water and can spread through building water systems.
