Governor Cuomo announced that, beginning tomorrow; teams led by the State Department of Health will be deployed to the Bronx to expedite the collection and testing of cooling tower water samples for Legionella Bacteria. This follows yesterday's announcement that the state is providing free testing for building owners and operators with cooling towers or evaporative condenser units that can be sources of the bacteria, as well as two free hotlines (888-769-7243 or 518-485-1159) to support sample collection. At the Governor's direction, State Health Commissioner Dr. Zucker will also be reviewing current Health regulations and examining possible improvements to help prevent similar outbreaks of Legionnaires' Disease in the future.
Today's announcement was preceded by a briefing in the Governor's New York City office between representatives of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, State Department of Health and local health departments from across the state.
"As officials work to contain and combat this outbreak of Legionnaires' Disease, today, we are taking the next proactive step forward to protect New Yorkers," Governor Cuomo said. "We are working to treat victims and stop the spread of the outbreak, while also taking precautions to maintain the public health in the future. I wish to thank CDC Director Dr. Frieden for his quick support, as well as all of our partners in the CDC, New York City and other local health departments for their coordination and cooperation. Finally, my thoughts and prayers are with all those who have been impacted by Legionnaires', and my heart goes out to those have lost loved ones to this terrible disease."