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4th person dies from Legionnaires’ disease in New York City: Health officials

Illustration of Legionella pneumophila bacteria, the cause of Legionnaires’ disease. ( ROGER HARRIS/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY/Getty Images)

(NEW YORK) — A fourth person has died in New York City amid an ongoing cluster of Legionnaires’ disease on the Upper East Side, according to health officials.

At least 76 cases have been identified and seven people remain hospitalized, the New York City Health Department announced.

Since the cluster began, 53 people have been discharged from the hospital, according to the department.

Health officials advised that anyone who has spent time in the affected ZIP codes 10028, 10075, 10128, including Carnegie Hill and Yorkville, should seek medical attention if they develop flu-like symptoms. Legionnaires’ disease symptoms can appear up to 14 days after exposure, according to the health department.

The department previously said it believes the source of the Legionella bacteria has likely been eliminated and that it will continue inspecting every cooling tower that tested positive for the bacteria.

Health officials added there is not an issue with any building’s plumbing system and that residents in the affected ZIP codes can continue to drink tap water, bathe, shower, cook and use an air conditioner at home.

Legionnaires’ disease is a severe form of pneumonia caused by inhaling the Legionella bacteria in small droplets of water mixed in the air or contaminated water accidentally going into the lungs.

The bacteria are found naturally in freshwater, but amounts generally don’t lead to disease. The bacteria typically grow best in warm water and in warm to hot temperatures, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The disease does not generally spread from person to person, but infections can occur if the bacteria get into a building’s water supply, including in shower heads, sink faucets, hot water tanks, heaters, cooling towers and other plumbing systems.

Legionnaires’ disease has increased in prevalence over the last decade, reaching a peak of 2.71 cases per 100,000 in 2018, the CDC said. Cases dropped during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic and then rebounded in 2021.

Although most people recover from Legionnaires’ disease with antibiotics, certain patients — including those who are immunocompromised or who suffer from chronic lung diseases — can develop complications that can be fatal.

ABC News’ Youri Benadjaoud contributed to this report.

Copyright © 2026, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Powerful storms slam the Midwest for a sixth-straight day, striking already flood-ravaged Indiana and Ohio

By CNN
(CNN) — Drenching storms rolled over the flood-ravaged Midwest for a sixth day early Friday, bringing more rain to areas where severe flooding has already forced hundreds of people from their homes and left more than 300,000 without power.After parts of Indiana saw 1-in-1,000 year rainfall, officials conducted water rescues and ordered evacuations as catastrophic floodwaters made rivers swell, rushed into homes and left roads impassable. Gov. Mike Braun on Thursday declared a statewide disaster emergency and mobilized the Indiana National Guard.⛈️☔️In one of the impacted areas? Track the storms, find out your local risk and get more detailed timing from meteorologists in the CNN Weather app⛈️☔️Millions across the Midwest remain under flood watches early Friday for additional bouts of rain sweeping through the region. Saturated ground and swollen rivers will make it easier for even modest rainfall to cause new problems.Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine on Thursday night warned residents in western Ohio to stay alert for “a dangerous situation” that could develop overnight after lingering storms this week forced about 375 people to evacuate. The catastrophic flooding comes after a deadly derecho — a rare, unusually long-lasting windstorm — tore through the Midwest earlier this week. The region will finally get a reprieve from the storms by Sunday.Here’s the latest:Authorities search for missing teen: In Delaware County, Indiana, authorities have been searching for an 18-year-old still missing after jumping into a river Wednesday night, the sheriff’s office told CNN.At least two dead: A 4-year-old boy died in southeastern Indiana on Tuesday after a tree fell on a house in Geneva Township, according to Cody Low, chief deputy for the Jennings County sheriff’s department. Another person was found dead Tuesday in Portage, Indiana, from an apparent explosion and house fire after the derecho moved through the area.Water rescues still underway: Authorities have been rescuing residents from high waters in several areas in Indiana, including Delaware, Madison, Wayne and Henry counties.Residents evacuate as rivers rise: At least two rivers have hit major flood stage in eastern Indiana. The White River in Anderson had a record crest over 24 feet Thursday night — the highest in more than 100 years. A level that high would likely bring water several feet deep in residential and commercial areas in the city’s north, according to the National Weather Service. Authorities are working to evacuate residents there and in nearby Muncie, Indiana. The Whitewater River at Brookville, Indiana has risen quickly to moderate flood stage in recent hours, prompting authorities downstream in Harrison, Ohio to issue an evacuation warning for some areas.Thousands lose power: More than 200,000 homes and businesses are without power in Indiana as of early Friday, according to PowerOutage.us. Over 300,000 customers remain in the dark across the Midwest and Ohio Valley for the third consecutive day. A utility serving northern Indiana experienced its most widespread outage ever due to this week’s storms and estimates power won’t be fully restored for more than a week.Kentucky flash flood emergency: The National Weather Service issued the highest level of flood warning Thursday evening for Knott County in eastern Kentucky, warning residents to immediately move to higher ground. Several water rescues were conducted in the northern part of the county late Thursday.Flooding pours into Indiana homes and businessesPhotos and videos out of Indiana show scenes of destruction as floodwaters rushed into homes and businesses, leaving them in shambles.Timothy Hicks, a father of six, told the Associated Press it was “a panic to get out of here” when floodwaters began pouring into their Cambridge City, Indiana, house on Wednesday.“I just started grabbing them, running them out to the car without even getting shoes, clothes or anything like that,” he said.Video of the home shows ruined bedrooms, a damaged bike and flooded yard. “It just crushes me. My kids’ house is gone,” Hicks added.Security camera photos show the devastation caused by flooding in Metamora, Indiana, where numerous businesses were damaged after severe weather hit on Wednesday.Bill Smith, owner of Village Smith and Village Smith Coffee Bar, told CNN that many residents are facing significant losses.Photos show floodwaters covering tables, chairs, and floors inside several businesses on Thursday.“We won’t know until we see how much more flooding may occur with the incoming rain,” Smith said. “There’s not much we can say about the degree of loss until we can access our buildings.”Smith added that they will get through this because Metamora is “a good and strong community.”Disaster emergencies declaredYorktown, in Indiana’s Delaware County, declared a local disaster emergency Thursday afternoon, with first responders working around the clock to assist with evacuations. Drone footage shared by the city showed houses, vehicles and roads submerged in muddy floodwaters.In the town of Muncie, water is deep enough in the streets that rescuers are using motorized boats and essential infrastructure is failing.“I’ve been with the department for 29 years, and I’ve never seen flooding like this,” the city’s Fire Chief Dan Burford told CNN Thursday.Sheriff’s deputies in Delaware County said they were still searching for missing 18-year-old Matthew Morey after responding to a report that four teens had jumped from a bridge into the Mississinewa River at around 8:30 p.m. Wednesday. Authorities had to temporarily pause the search due to the conditions, officials said.In nearby Anderson in Madison County, Indiana, the mayor declared a local disaster emergency and issued evacuation orders Thursday along the swelling White River and other waterways.Fire departments in Anderson’s Madison County “have been busy all day” with evacuations and “some water rescues,” and more than 300 animals are being evacuated from a flooded animal shelter, Sheriff John Beeman told CNN Thursday night.Renewed flood danger FridayIowa and northwestern Illinois face the greatest risk of flooding rain Friday, with more storms targeting communities already soaked this week. A Level 3 of 4 risk is in place, and significant flash flooding is possible.Storms will sweep from west to east Friday morning, with another, potentially more widespread round expected Friday night. Some already waterlogged communities could be hit repeatedly, causing rainfall to accumulate quickly.Exactly where the heaviest rain lands remains uncertain, but forecast models suggests more than 5 inches could fall in the hardest-hit areas, with isolated totals topping 8 inches. With the ground already saturated, it won’t take as much rain to cause flooding as it did earlier in the week.A broader Level 2 of 4 risk of flooding rain is in place through Illinois, Indiana, Ohio and West Virginia. Rainfall totals may be lower there, but intense downpours could quickly renew flooding in waterlogged communities, including parts of Indiana still recovering from catastrophic flooding.The flood threat should ease somewhat Saturday but won’t disappear. The main corridor for heavy rain will shift north and east, prompting a Level 2 of 4 risk of flooding from northern Illinois and Wisconsin through northern Indiana and Ohio and into parts of the central Appalachians. Another risk level upgrade is possible depending on which areas are hardest hit Friday.The-CNN-Wire™ & © 2026 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.
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