A deadly lung disease that tore through New York City has now spread to the suburbs, health officials warn.
Health officials in Westchester County, just north of New York City, announced Monday that two people have died of Legionnaire’s disease, a type of pneumonia that spreads through bacteria lurking in warm later.
Legionnaire’s disease mimics the flu before progressing to pneumonia, with patients suffering symptoms such as high fever, breathing trouble, and even mental confusion.
The deaths occurred in White Plains and New Rochelle, both of which are about 30 miles from Manhattan.
Another 35 people in the county, which houses 1million people, have been sickened, according to Westchester County Health Commissioner Dr Sherlita Amler.
No further details were given about those who were sickened or died, when they may have been infected or the source of the infections.
Legionnaires’ disease is caused by Legionella bacteria, which thrive in warm water and can become airborne when water turns to steam.
Dr Amler says the cluster was likely due to a high number of summer days where temperatures exceeded 90 degrees. The disease is also thought to spread via air conditioner units.
Two people in Westchester County have died of legionnaires’ disease. One of the individuals lived in the NYC suburb of White Plains (pictured above)
Legionella bacteria, pictured in the above stock image, thrives in warm waters
The announcement comes after an outbreak of Legionnaires’ across five zip codes in the Harlem and Morningside Heights neighborhoods of Manhattan sickened 114 people, 90 of which were hospitalized and seven died.
The outbreak was tied to cooling towers near a Harlem hospital and nearby construction site, officials found.
It was declared over at the end of August.
Two residents of an apartment complex in the Bronx also tested positive for Legionnaires’ after the bacteria was found in the complex’s hot water supply.
Westchester County Associate Sanitarian Matt Smith said the county has 561 cooling towers that are regularly tested for legionella bacteria.
Infected patients initially suffer a headache, muscle aches, and fever that may be 104 Fahrenheit (40 Celsius) or higher.
In serious cases, patients can develop severe pneumonia, and the bacteria can spread to the heart and blood, causing the potentially fatal complication sepsis.
The above map shows the toll of the previous legionnaires’ outbreak in Manhattan earlier this summer
Patients die from the disease due to lung failure, septic shock, a sudden severe drop in blood flow to vital organs, or acute kidney failure.
Legionnaires’ affects 8,000 to 10,000 Americans every year and kills about 1,000.
Doctors can treat the disease using antibiotics, but they warn that treatment is most effective in the early stages before the infection has spread in the body. Patients are often hospitalized.
In milder cases, patients may also suffer from Pontiac fever, a condition causing fever, chills, headache and muscle aches that occurs when the bacteria do not infect the lungs.
This condition goes away on its own without treatment and causes no further problems, doctors say.
This article was originally published by a www.dailymail.co.uk . Read the Original article here. .