{2:55 minutes to read} Our prior blog posts have reported on the tragic outbreaks of Legionnaires’ disease in the Bronx, New York. Here are recent developments:
We were just retained by a client who was hospitalized as a result of the latest Bronx Legionnaires’ Disease outbreak. Recommend: The New York City Department of Health reported an outbreak of Legionnaires Disease that sickened 14 people and killed at least one person in the Bronx this autumn. The Department of Health identified a cooling tower at the Bronx Psychiatric Center, in the Morris Park section, as the most likely source of those Legionnaires’ cases.
After the Bronx Legionnaires’ Disease outbreak this summer, which killed 16 people, it seemed that the City took quick action to prevent this insidious public health scourge. As part of that effort, the New York CIty Council enacted a law which required building owners with cooling towers atop their properties to register them. It also imposed testing and disinfection requirements to help to locate the source of the disease causing bacteria, and to prevent its spread to people.
Unfortunately in light of the recent Bronx outbreaks, there are three obvious questions about the City’s response to Legionnaires’ Disease:
Is the water tower cleaning being done properly?
Is the water tower cleaning effective?
Were there other unreported Legionnaires’ Disease outbreaks?
Last year, terrifying stories about the Ebola epidemic filled the news, even though not a single person who contracted Ebola in the United States died from it. Legionnaires’ Disease is extremely dangerous and has caused more than 100 people to be hospitalized and killed at least 17 people, who live in the Bronx, NY, in a matter of months. However, it goes unnoticed outside of local media. Is this another example of American inequality?
Everyone wants to see the spread of Legionnaires’ disease stopped. Since the beginning of the Bronx Legionnaires’ Disease outbreaks, the Katter Law Firm has has powerfully advocated for the rights of people who were infected. If you or a loved one have concerns or questions about the legal rights of people infected with Legionnaires’ disease, please call us at 212-809-4293 or email us at info@KatterLaw.com.
Katter Law Firm
Phone: 844-WAS-HURT
Alt Phone: 212-809-4293