State Officials Test for Legionnaire's Bacteria After New York City's Worst Outbreak

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo on August 8 said a force of 150 people would be deployed to the Bronx, where the city has seen its worst outbreak of Legionnaire’s disease in history, a result of contaminated water. The bacteria killed 10 people and has left 91 hospitalized.

Cuomo’s office said the US Centers for Disease Control would be joining the effort, involving testing at Montefiore Medical Center (shown in the video) and at Roberto Clemente state park.

State Health Commissioner Howard Zucker and Office of Emergency Management Director Kevin Wisely addressed the state’s testing teams before they went to work, the governor’s office said.

Several local media reports have described the outbreak in political terms, saying Bronx residents are angry at New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio for what has been called a slow response to the outbreak. Cuomo has excluded de Blasio in public messages thanking various state and city departments for their work on the outbreak. Credit: YouTube/NYGovCuomo