Ron Ketter said an 88-year-old Upper East Side man died in the Legionnaires' disease outbreak after spending two weeks in intensive care. His family said the man was an Air Force veteran, had been married for 50 years, and died on Friday after falling ill in a Yorkville apartment.
Ketter said, "He was intubated and on a respirator, also bedside dialysis" and added, "Intravenous antibiotics and I think they were even monitoring his brainwaves." The family said his wife found him suffering from a fever near an open window on July 2.
Upper East Side Legionnaires
The outbreak has sickened 74 people since it was first identified, and eight patients remain hospitalized. The cases have been concentrated in ZIP codes 10128, 10028 and 10075, while the Health Department is urging anyone with flu-like symptoms to seek medical attention.
Authorities have been testing cooling towers throughout the Upper East Side area, and a cooling tower at the Metropolitan Museum of Art tested positive for Legionella bacteria. The family blamed the owner of a building linked to the outbreak and alleged the property's cooling tower was not properly maintained.
Health Department Investigation
Officials said no new cases have been linked to the outbreak in more than a week. They also believe the source of exposure has been eliminated, even as the investigation continues and testing goes on across the area.
For people living in the affected ZIP codes, the practical step is simple: anyone who develops flu-like symptoms should get medical attention quickly. The case now centers on whether the remaining testing will tie the cluster to a specific tower or leave the source unresolved.
